Breaking the Illusion of Tranquility
by Vrawr
Summary: The next time Hinata wakes up after her battle with Pein, she is in the body of a newborn. Seth/Hinata/Embry
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Yeah... another Hinata/Wolf story, but... hopefully this one is a bit different. (:

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Hinata isn't sure what's going on.

It's like she's floating in the dark—which is incredibly unlikely, considering she was just fighting a member of the Akatsuki.

Unless, of course, this is what dying feels like. She wonders if she's dead.

She could be. She might be. She probably is.

She challenged Pein—the _leader of the biggest criminal organization in the entire history of Shinobi—_to save Naruto's life. She hopes she succeeded, even if it means that she gave up her own life in the process.

Naruto's life is more important than hers. Kami, she wishes sometimes that that wasn't true, but it is and it probably always will be. She is the (was the?) the heiress to the Hyuuga, but Naruto is destined to be the savior of a nation. She knew from the moment she saw him as a child, that he would be so very important. He'll be the Hokage one day, she knows. But what she doesn't know is if she'll ever be able to even see that happen.

She drifts in and out of conscious thinking, but never in and out of actual consciousness. Time seems to move at snail's pace, if it's even moving at all. She can't tell.

After what seems to be _years, _she finally sees a light, and blurry figures all around her. She smells the familiar scent of blood and she panics, letting out a screech.

Her voice is light and her eyes are _still so blurry._

She reaches out, but realizes she can't. Someone picks her up and carries her as if she a small child. She struggles in their grasp—or, well, she attempts to. It's a bit hard, when she is wrapped in a blanket.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but it takes Hinata Hyuuga 3 days to realize that she is no longer a 16 year old girl.

She's a _baby._


	2. Chapter One

**Most chapters will be pretty short. At least until Hinata gets a little older, anyways.**

* * *

She has a mother.

Of course, she's always had a mother... but only foggy recollections and memories of affection.

But now, as she is pressed into her _new_ mother's bosom, she wonders how she managed to survive so long without a love this strong. Her father never offered his embrace, and the rest of her family took after him. Kurenai-sensei was the only one who ever gave her half of this affection.

Her mother seems to be of Asian-descent. Her father is not, though. His skin is tanned and his hair is black and long and he's really very handsome.

Whether by the luck of some unknown deity or an absolute coincidence, her name is still Hinata.

Her mother mumbles something, but Hinata doesn't know what. She still doesn't understand this strange language that they're speaking—just bits and pieces of rare Japanese, that her mother speaks at times.

She is laid in her crib and is left in silence. This is her least favorite part.

It gives her time to think; time to recollect. She doesn't like it. She doesn't like _this. _

She appreciates the feeling of love that a mother _and _a father give her, but she doesn't like how helpless she is. She doesn't like being in the dark. Is Naruto alive? Is he dead? Did she fail? Succeed? Is the Shinobi world crashing and burning, now that she's gone? _Dead? _

She knows that the latter most likely isn't true. Her death wouldn't have had such a major impact.

She also knows that she most likely is no longer in the Land of Fire. It rains far too often here, and the air is too wet. She _could_ be in Kirigakure (Kami, she hopes not)... but she doubts it. She doubts she's even in the land of _Shinobi _anymore. She doesn't feel chakra in the air. The people here don't speak Japanese. Her parents haven't said anything in relation to shinobi—then again, even if they _did_ say something, she wouldn't exactly understand them, would she?

She falls into a restless slumber.

Another thing she dislikes; she sleeps _far_ too much.

* * *

A year passes. She begins to grasp the language they're speaking, simply because she has no other choice. If she doesn't understand them, she won't be able to understand anything. And she needs to understand. She needs to understand, so that maybe, _one day,_ she can go back to the land she loves. To the Land of Fire; to the Village of Leaves; to the _people she loves. _She knows that the possibility of her ever going back grow worse and worse as each day goes on, but she can't help but _hope._

"_You are my sunshine, Hinata. My sweet, sweet sunshine."_

Is what her mother whispers every night before she lays her daughter down to sleep. Hinata faintly remembers her real mother—the mother she knew for a total of 5 years, before death took her away—telling her the exact same thing.

Coincidence or not, Hinata does not find it charming.

* * *

When she turns _three, _she is thrown a party. There are only a few people there, and most of them look very similar to her father—dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and stunning beauty. Their names are all a jumble, but she can at least understand them now. She doesn't know if she should talk to them—is it normal here to speak at the age of 3? She doesn't know. She doesn't want to be labeled a prodigy, even though she's almost positive being a prodigy _here_ wouldn't be the same as it is in the world of Shinobi.

She meets children, though none of them really interest her. None of them are her friends—none of them are even similar. She knows that it's not exactly a far comparison, but... she can't help it. She can't help but compare these kids to Kiba, Shino, Neji, _Naruto. _She can't help it, so she doesn't stop.


	3. Chapter Two

She looks in the mirror one day. She's curious as to what she looks like. Is her appearance the same? She doubts it is. She knows she most likely doesn't have the Byakugan anymore. She can't even tell if she still has chakra flowing through her veins. She's been hesitant to try anything. What if she really doesn't have any? What if she really _is _just a civilian? She doesn't want that. She doesn't want that at all.

Hinata gazes into the mirror, staring into her own light blue eyes. She wonders how she could possibly have them—both of her parents have dark brown eyes... shouldn't she? Her hair is dark, though. Almost pitch black, which is similar to the color she had in her... in her _past life. _Back then, however, her hair was a very dark purple. She finds that she likes her appearance, no matter how strange it may be to see it after 16 years of being a completely different person.

–

When she is 5, she enters school. It's... surprisingly easy (or, perhaps, not quite so surprising, considering that she's surrounded by children). Basic math—nothing like those _horrible _problems on the first Chuunin Exams, which she actually managed to do with only a bit of trouble. On her second attempt becoming a Chuunin, they had another written exam—the math was only a bit easier, but she managed to do it with ease.

She doesn't make friends. People try, and people fail, to get to know her. She attempts to be polite—she just doesn't want to be friends with them. They think she's conceited though. They think she's stuck-up and rude and they don't like her at all after the first few months of school.

She finds that she doesn't mind very much.

–

When she is 8, she is offered to skip to the 6th grade.

"Hinata's performance is extraordinary!" Her teachers tell her parents. "She's gifted, that's for sure." For once, the word _gifted_ is being used in relation to her; _about her. _She likes it, no matter how trivial it is. She's 24 years old now—of course she should be 'gifted'.

Her parents smile and turn to her. She can tell they aren't entirely sure about it. They probably don't want her to be shunned even more by kids older than her. But Hinata merely tilts her head to the side and smiles as brightly as she can.

"I-I'd love to!" She still has the stutter, even in this life.

_She hates it so much._

–

Her mother is standing behind her, brushing her hair gently.

"You're so pretty, Hinata. You look so much like George's mother, it's not even funny." Her father is George. Her mother is Fuka.

Her father is Native American—Makah, they say. Her mother is, of course, Japanese. Hinata likes it most when her mother mutters soft words of her native tongue—Hinata's native tongue, too.

The young girl smiles and utters a small noise of thanks. She likes this woman; her _mother. _She really likes her, and she may even love her, but she still hasn't come to terms with the fact that this _isn't truly her world... _but she has to pretend like it is. She has to pretend like this woman is her mother, and this family is her own. She has to pretend like she's a 9 year old girl and she has to act like she truly has the innocent mind of a child. She has to pretend like she hasn't seen the horrors of war and the feelings of dread after losing a loved one. She has to pretend like she hasn't been beaten to a bloody pulp countless times. She has to pretend that she hasn't killed. She has to pretend she isn't a young woman, because she is supposed to be a child.

It's hard sometimes, to do it. It's so hard, because she hasn't had a proper conversation in years. She can't remember the last time she was open with someone—truly, honestly open. It hurts, knowing that the only people she has ever trusted are a lifetime away. She will most likely never see her friends again. She will never see Neji or Hanabi or her _real _father again. She will never see Shino, Kurenai, Kiba or Akamaru again. She'll never see _Naruto _again.

Her chest aches at this thought. She doesn't dwell on it, no matter how much she just wants to think of his face. His bright, smiling, sunny face. The face she has wanted to kiss for years; the face she has dreamed about since her first night in this world, and even before that.

She wants to hold him, even if it's just for a moment.

But it will never happen. It will _never happen._


	4. Chapter Three

When she's 11, she starts high school.

She has breezed by the years before, and she expects this to be completely the same.

She's right, when it comes to the work. The problems they give her are easy; simple, really. Even the classes involving American history. She's good at memorization, and has no problem with getting the job done.

But the people are a completely different story. She has long ago gotten used to being alone. She was alone most of her past life, and she has no problems with it now. She's even used to the insults. When your own _father _has called you a disgrace, there's not much that can hurt. Or, at least, that's what she thought.

A freak, they say. A giant _bitch _of a girl who may be a genius, but lets it get to her head. They say that she'll always be alone, and that the only people who will ever love her are her parents. They call her stuck-up and pompous and they really hate her—just like the kids in kindergarten did. She tries to ignore it. She's 11 and they're 14 or 15 or 16, and they _don't know what they're talking about._

But she's _not _11\. She's 27. She should know how to make friends by now, but she hasn't and she almost hates herself for it.

Even as their insults hit home and even as she bites back tears and can't stop the dam from breaking when she lies down to go to sleep at night, she tries to ignore them. She tries to suck it up and move on—but she can't. Because it hurts. It really, really hurts.

–

A year later, her parents say they're moving. _La Push, _they say. It's an Indian Reservation, just like the one they're living on now—except where they are now is home to the Makah tribe, and La Push is inhabited mostly by those of Quileute-descent.

Hinata finds herself looking forward to it, even though she knows that it will most likely be the same as this place. She'll be an outcast; she won't have friends; she'll be considered a freak.

But she can suck it up—because her parents (_parents) _look so happy, talking of their new life. Her father's friends live in La Push, and he has always loved it there. He thinks it'll be a good new start, especially considering the trouble his daughter has had with making friends.

He just wants the best for his family; for his little girl.

–

It's very rainy in La Push, Washington.

Hinata has long ago gotten used to how wet this new world is. She doesn't like it much, considering how sunny it used to be in Konoha, but part of her doesn't mind the sound of rain tapping against her window at night, lulling her into slumber.

Their new home is small—2 bedrooms, a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a living room, dining room, and hallway. Small, but still about the size of their old house. Both of them combined still have nothing on the sheer size of the Hyuuga compound, though. In the back of her mind, Hinata remembers the size of her old room—it could probably fit half of this house inside of it, she muses.

She doesn't dislike it, though.

–

It's summer when they arrive, and school doesn't start for another month. Her mother tells her to check out the beach ("Maybe you'll find a cute boy or two!"). Hinata blushes and mumbles something about only being 12—almost 13, though, to be fair.

Her mom merely smiles and winks. The younger girl sighs and turns in the direction she assumes the beach is in. It's a small reservation. She can't get _too _lost, after all. And she's right. She finds the beach after only 10 minutes of searching. Almost instantly, she wants to shy back to the safety of her home. She buries her head in her jacket (one almost exactly like the one she wore in her past life. It's purple and beige and she _loves it.) _and shuffles through the sand.

There aren't _too _many people there, but Hinata is nervous around even the smallest of crowds. Especially when she's the only one not in a bathing suit.

There are a lot of teens—boys in swim trunks and girls in _bikinis. _She feels awkward with her oversized jacket, but she doesn't dare take it off.

Her body is similar to how it was _before. _Her chest is bigger than most girls her age, and though big breasts are considered attractive in this world (at least, to most people), she still can't help but feel self-conscious. In the world of Shinobi; especially Kunoichi, a large chest usually just slowed a girl down, unless she knew how to deal with it.

Hinata didn't really know how then, and she still doesn't.

She sits down in the sand, close to the shore but not quite touching the water. She takes off her sandals and buries her toes in the ground, bringing her knees up to her chin. Letting out a heavy breath, she stares at the reflection of the sun in the sea. She sees _his _face. She can't help it.

He is the sun. He has _always _been the sun; the ray of light in her darkness and the person who gives her hope in a world filled with such evil and spite. But this is no longer his world; no longer _their _world. There has never been _their world, _though,because there has never been a _them._

But Hinata can't help but dream. She no longer even considers it a wish; it's much too outlandish for that.

She buries her face in between her legs and sighs. Tears prickle her eyes and she wants more than anything for things to go back to how they were before. She wants to have friends again. She wants people to talk to; people to _understand _her. No one in this world will ever understand what she's gone through.

And she hates that. She hates a lot of things, and that slightly confuses her. She's never hated so greatly before; never felt such anger and self-loathing. Or, perhaps she _has_ felt the latter. She's hated herself before... she definitely has.

She has welcomed death before, though she has never sought it out. She's not about to start, no matter how much she may dislike the world she's in right now.

She wonders why she's even here. Why would fate take her away from the place she was happy, and drop her in another world, just to waste away?

Hinata jumps when someone touches her shoulder. Snapping her head around, she comes face to face with one of the most beautiful women she has ever seen—in both lives.

The woman smiles hesitantly. "Hi. I... uh... well, _we_ saw you over here by yourself and... we were wondering if you'd like to join us over there?" She points to a small group of people, most of which are staring at Hinata. With a blooming blush, the younger girl is unable to stop herself from nodding.

The woman smiles brightly. Hinata's breath is nearly taken away at the sight.

"I'm Emily by the way. What's your name?"

Hinata shares her story. She just moved there with her parents; she's going to be starting 10th grade soon at La Push High. Most of the people are surprised at that.

"But you look so young!" Leah gasps, her arms wrapped tightly around Sam. He has been her boyfriend for almost 2 years, they say. They are all 16, though Emily is only visiting for another few weeks. She's Leah's cousin.

"Ah... I... um, I'm 12." She almost doesn't want to tell them. She knows they most likely won't judge her, but she can't help but worry. They seem like nice people, but even the kindest of people can be cruel at times—usually without even meaning to.

Emily merely smiles. "You _do _seem like one of those quiet, genius types." Her eyes are still sweet; her smile is still strong, and Hinata feels more warmth from this one girl than she has ever felt from almost anyone else in this world.


	5. Chapter Four

**Warning: **I've changed the ages around a bit, if you haven't noticed. Seth is originally 6 years younger than Leah, but in this story he's only about 2 and a half years younger.

–

Hinata meets with these people (_her friends, _she describes them tentatively to her mother) until school starts, and Emily has to return back to her own home—A Makah reservation, she says, though not the same one that Hinata used to live on.

The high school here is tiny. There are only about a hundred students, including Hinata, and she finds that she greatly likes this school more than her last few.

She sits with Sam and Leah at lunch, and though it hurts her chest to look at such a happy couple (because it reminds her of what she and Naruto never had), she actually likes it more than being alone. She likes having _friends, _even though they will never truly understand her, even if they wanted to.

The classes are still easy. Nothing to really worry about. She even helps Leah with her homework sometimes. When the older girl starts to lose patience, however, Hinata always backs off. She doesn't want to lose the few people she can talk to.

A few days after the end of the first semester, Hinata turns 13. _December 27__th__. _All of these coincidences are really starting to bug her. At the same time, though, she's grateful. She doesn't have to remember a bunch of new information. She has the same name—sort of, anyways. Hinata White _is_ a bit strange. But she's gotten used to it. She has the same birthday; the same face, almost. She has almost the exact same body, minus the scars.

She imagines that there's some bored god laughing down at her from their throne.

–

There are a lot of attractive boys at La Push High, Hinata can't help but notice after awhile. Sam is one of them, though his features are a bit too defined for Hinata's tastes—and he's Leah's, of course. There's also Paul, Jared, Embry, Jacob... and, well, _Set__h._

Leah's younger brother is definitely someone Hinata can't help but think about at times. His face is never in her mind more than Naruto's—but it's there, none the less. She thinks of him as she drifts off to sleep... and then wakes up panting.

And she feels disgusting afterward, because he's only 14. _14._

She is a 29 year old woman, stuck in the body of a 13 year old _girl. _In a way, she supposes it's okay to dream about him; to _like him._ It's not as if she can help what she remembers and who she is. Maybe it's just a glitch in the system, she can't help but think. Maybe she wasn't supposed to remember all of the things that she has.

Seth even looks like Naruto a little—or, well, no... he doesn't look _anything _like Naruto. But they have the same sunny disposition. Seth is the first person Hinata has encountered in this world that has made her heart lurch. She doesn't even really understand _why. _She has only met him a handful of times, but his personality has left an imprint on her heart. And she really, really likes it.

His voice is softer than Sam's and deeper than Naruto's (she can still remember the rough texture of his voice; the warmth and the laughter), and she can't help but think it's absolutely perfect for him. He smiles at her a lot and always laughs at her subtle jokes—even when not even _she_ thinks they're funny.

He's a good person—a really good person.

–

On one of the few days Sam and Leah aren't available for lunch (they skip classes together sometimes. They offer Hinata a chance to come along, but she always declines. She doesn't want to get in trouble, after all. A goody-two-shoes they call her jokingly. She can't help but wonder), another group of people sit next to her at the table.

They don't talk to her; don't even acknowledge her, but Hinata can't help but be curious. She glances up from the pages of her book, and her heart practically stops.

_He looks so much like Kiba._

Her breath catches in her throat and she feels bile attempting to make its way up. Snapping her head away, she attempts to ignore them—ignore _him. _But when she hears him laugh, her eyes prickle with tears and can't stop the whine from leaving her throat.

With heavy breaths, she pushes herself away from the lunch table and makes her way into the hallway. From behind her, she vaguely hears him say _freak,_ with laughter rich in his voice. Her mind stops working, but her feet keep on their path. Within seconds, she's in the girl's bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Her lungs are straining and her eyes feel like they're about to _explode. _Before she can stop herself, she lets out a low moan, clutching her palms to the sockets of her eyes. After several seconds of heavy panting, she wearily allows herself to look in the mirror...

… merely to flinch back almost immediately.

There are veins all around her eyes. She can see _everything _around her. She can see the heartbeat of every single living person in this building. Just like she thought, though, there is no chakra—at least not with anyone else.

The sight is almost grotesque, after not seeing it for so long. She smacks herself for thinking such a thing, though.

For once, she feels the familiar pulse of power and chakra underneath her skin. She's laughing before she even realizes what she's doing.

Merely one hand-sign later, her eyes are back to normal, leaving her giddy with excitement.


	6. Chapter Five

When she returns home that day and looks in the mirror, her eyes are bloodshot and incredibly red. What seem to be _bruises_ lightly color her temples—and it _hurts._ But at the same time, it _doesn't_, because it's a small price to pay, to know she's not useless anymore. She can still call herself a Hyuuga, even if she's the only one of her clan left in this world.

She smiles at her mother's questioning gaze ("_oh my god, are you okay?") _and hurries into their backyard. There's a forest thick enough for her to compare it to Konoha back here—and she wants to _see_. See if there's anything else she can do.

She is surrounded by trees, a light drizzle dripping down on to her skin. She sucks in a breath and tilts her head up. A blinding smile covers her face, as she attempts to drop into the infamous Hyuuga stance—the stance that she hadn't even _thought_ about for a good few years, let alone _tried._

Her movements are awkward and her stance is most likely wrong. She's never done something like this in this body before. It's strange and tense and it doesn't flow like it should—but she doesn't give up. Because to give up would mean that she's failed; and she can't fail. Not again; not in this lifetime.

She stays outside in the rain until she's drenched from head to toe. Her Byakugan is activated (it only took one hand-sign; one that she's done thousands of times.) and her jacket no longer weighs her down. It's on the forest floor a few feet away, but she doesn't mind the wetness on her arms. She doesn't mind the burning in her eyes or the pressure in her lungs. She doesn't care that she's sore and in pain and _just wants to sleep. _She doesn't care about anything but getting it right.

Her palms twist outward and her legs move back and forth, as if she's doing a dance only she knows the moves to. With only a bit of hesitance, she brings chakra to her palms and thrusts forward. The blue streak of chakra in the air, left by her hand, is enough to make her erupt in laughter. She hasn't felt like this in so, so long!

–

Her mother makes her stay home the next day. "Hinata... sweety, what happened to you? Don't your eyes hurt?" They _do_ hurt, but she doesn't mention it. She doesn't want to be taken to a doctor, to be poked and prodded. She doesn't want them to find out about her discovery; she doesn't want them to _know._

"I-I'm fine, mom." And she _is _fine. She's _more_ than fine, because... she's not a civilian. She can still call herself a Kunoichi, even if she is the only one in this world. She can still manipulate her chakra and she can still see with her bloodline limit. She isn't _useless._

When her parents head off to work, Hinata goes outside again. She's dizzy and tired, but that doesn't stop her. She wills chakra to move into her legs. She stands stock-still for several minutes, breathing labored. "Please, please please," She whispers quietly.

"_Please work."_

And it does. She feels the power in her legs and she lets out another laugh, before beginning to run.

She runs and runs and runs until she can no longer feel her face from the cold wind. She blinks blearily against the rain, only to push more energy into her feet. She just wants to be _free._

When she crashes into the rough trunk of a tree, she merely smiles as the tears of shock run down her cheeks.

It's cold and she's tired, but she's more happy than she's been in _years._

–

She hides the bruises and scabs on her legs with long pants. Her parents don't question it, because Hinata has never really worn anything _but _pants.

School is the same... but at the same time, it's _not. _She is filled with so much more confidence than she's ever known. She manages to walk down the hallway with her head held high, and not angled towards the tile.

Leah mentions that she likes the change; Sam merely nods and smiles and agrees with his girlfriend. Hinata grins back.

Another year flies by. Hinata trains her stances at least twice a week. The bruises around her eyes have long stopped appearing, and her body no longer grows sore from a few hours of chakra being pumped through it. She doesn't grow so exhausted now. She is beginning to feel a sense of power—and she loves it.


	7. Chapter Six

When she is 14, Sam doesn't come to school for 2 weeks.

Leah is a nervous wreck, snapping at anyone and everything that looks or talks to her the wrong way. Hinata tries to offer her support, but she knows that it means little, considering the amount of pain Leah is in. She doesn't like seeing her friend like this... but she knows. She knows that she can't do anything to help. Because she isn't Sam. And he is all Leah really wants-not stupid, false promises and whispered lies.

The pain in her dark brown eyes is enough to have Hinata tremble and remember the love she lost, but never really quite had to begin with. She wants to share her experience with Leah—she really does. But she can't. She doesn't want to be considered crazy.

–

Emily comes to visit. She holds Leah and offers words of support that Hinata would have never been able to truly say and _mean._

Sam comes back 2 days later and tells Leah that they can't be together. She sobs and cries and screeches words of profanity. Hinata is merely shocked at the change Sam has undergone. He's _massive. _He was already muscular to begin with, but... now? Now he's huge.

Sam doesn't seem to know how to comfort Leah, so he doesn't even try.

When Emily steps up, she pokes him in the chest and glares straight into his eyes. _A coward, _she says. Sam shakes and trembles and for a moment, Hinata thinks that he's about to cry.

"I'm sorry," He says. And then he leaves.

The look in his eyes is almost worse than the look in Leah's.

–

Hinata visits Leah everyday after school. Seth is almost always there too, grinning and laughing with them—with Hinata, anyways. Leah hasn't laughed in months.

It's a few weeks before her birthday when Seth turns to her with a blush on his cheeks. "I like you," He states, and her heart stops. She's imagined those exact words coming out of Naruto's mouth for years. To her surprise, however, she finds herself blushing and smiling and feeling her heart flutter. Naruto's name resonates in the back of her mind, but she doesn't stop herself from saying,

"I like you too, S-Seth." And then he presses his lips to her cheek and she nearly has a heart attack—but the good kind.

–

Hinata doesn't know when it happens, but she begins to see Sam and Emily together. In the beginning, Emily ignores him. She tells him that she doesn't want anything to do with him, and that he's a despicable person. But then, after weeks, she begins to take pity on him. She offers a smile at his jokes and brushes her fingertips against his and gives him sympathy at the tired look on his face.

Hinata knows that Emily is beginning to fall in love with him. She can see it in her eyes; in the way her body always seems to position itself in his direction, even before she knows he's there. Hinata can't help but wonder if there's something magical between them. The look in Sam's eyes is intense and almost beautiful.

And though Hinata feels more than a little pity for Leah, she finds herself hoping Emily and Sam work out. She wants them to work out, simply because her own romance did not.

Her past romance, anyways. Seth is lovely. He's sweet and kind and always takes her feelings into consideration. They've never gone past kisses on the cheek, but Hinata doesn't mind at all. She loves the feeling he gives her. She loves the warmth of his palms and the heat of his smile. She really likes _him. _

–

When Leah sees her ex and her cousin together, she almost collapses. If it isn't for the arm Hinata has wrapped around her, the older girl would have surely fallen to her knees.

Her eyes are wide open and her mouth is agape. She stares at them and they stare back, and then Leah cries. She cries and cries and though Hinata knows that it will mean nothing, she offers words of comfort. She hopes they help.

–

It's a warm day. Not by normal standards—but considering it's February in La Push, it's certainly not as cool as usual.

The veins around Hinata's eyes are throbbing, though not quite in pain. She ignores the sensation, thrusting her palms in and out. The chakra in the air is enough to cause her to shiver in delight. With a gentle smile, she begins to deactivate her Byakugan—only to pause quickly.

What in the world is _that? _

It's giant. It has the shape of a wolf and the heartbeat of a human. It's about 3 times the size of any other wolf she's seen—and almost twice the size of Akamaru. Hinata freezes, only jerking slightly when the creature begins to step in her direction. She isn't sure if she should run or stay or say hello. Probably not the latter, she muses.

As she watches the wolf, in the back of her mind she remembers the bonfire she was invited to a few months prior. She heard a lot of stories then, of the Quileute culture—wolves, _cold_ _ones. _The stories said nothing about the size of the wolf, but Hinata imagines that they would probably be a bit bigger than usual.

Perhaps this is one of them? Perhaps this is a... a _werewolf._

She knows it a long shot, but it's all she can think of; besides a wolf-bear hybrid—and that sounds silly even to her. Not even _bears_ are that big.

With a shiver, she deactivates her Byakugan and shoves her hands in the pockets of her pants. It's probably not the best idea to confront the creature—even if it _is_ a man.

–

Next Friday, Seth invites her to a movie in his living room. It's an old vampire film—the original Dracula, he says. Without much hesitance, she agrees.

The popcorn is buttery and salty and the hold Seth has on her hand is sweet. She loves the tenderness of his fingertips and the roughness of his palm against hers. He smiles and presses his side next to hers, filling her with warmth. She tilts her head on his shoulder and breathes in his scent—peppermint and sunshine.

Sunshine.

Why does she always manage to link back the things she likes to sunshine? Naruto; Konoha; Seth. She has felt strongly for all of them, and the feeling of sunshine has shone bright in them all as well.

When Seth tilts his head down and brushes the side of his mouth against hers, her heart lurches.

She's never been kissed in this lifetime. When she was Hinata _Hyuuga, _she had only been kissed once, by Kiba. It was an accident, he said. But the smile on his face and the blush on his cheeks made her think differently.

A few heartbeats later, Seth presses his lips harder against hers. It's chaste; innocent. Neither of them move, or even close their eyes. They stare at each other, each wondering what the other is thinking. Finally, they pull back to take a breath.

"... C-can I do that again?" He whispers hoarsely. With a tender smile, Hinata finds herself nodding.


	8. Chapter Seven

Thanks to everyone that's reviewed! (: Haha, yeah Tix, I was thinking the same thing. Hinata would probably freak out too, if her eyes suddenly went back to how they were before. And a freaked out Hinata is always cute! Thanks, Sabie. _Spoilers: _Yeah, Hinata was reborn before Pein brought everyone back. I've been debating on whether or not I should offer an explanation in the story, but it's supposed to be as much of a mystery to her, as it is us. I consider it something like a predetermined destiny, though, her being born in that world.

I was looking back at earlier chapters and realized I just put that I don't own Naruto. Well... I don't own Twilight either. xD

* * *

She's visiting the store with her mother when she sees Emily for the first time in 2 months. Hinata's heart picks up speed, as she makes a path right to the older girl.

Emily's eyes widen at the sight of here, but she quickly smiles and waves. Hinata returns the gesture tentatively.

"Hinata! I didn't think I'd see you again for awhile. How have you been?"

"Ah... the s-same as usual, I guess." Emily smiles knowingly. "Yeah." Her smile drops after a few moments. "I... I know it's probably not any of my business after... well, after what happened, but... how's Leah? Is she okay?" She runs a hand through her long black hair. "I guess that's a stupid question. Of course she's not okay."

Hinata bites her bottom lip.

Emily and Sam had moved in with each other a while ago. Leah didn't take the news well at all, to put it lightly.

"Sh-she is... as good as can be expected." She whispers, burying her hands in her jacket pockets. She doesn't want to lie to Emily, but she doesn't want to worry her either. Leah has been a mess. She hasn't been going to school for the past few weeks—they say she'll probably have to repeat her senior year. Sam has all but dropped out of high school.

Whenever Hinata goes over to the Clearwater house, Leah is in bed, either crying into her pillow or snapping at people. Seth tells Hinata not to take it personally, and Hinata never does. She knows what heartbreak feels like. She merely forces a smile and attempts to reassure him.

_She'll get better. It's only a matter of time before she snaps out of this._

Seth always seems touched by her words. He thanks her with a gentle kiss to her cheekbone.

"Ah... that's good." Emily sighs. "I was wondering, maybe, if you'd like to join Sam and I for dinner tonight? I can talk to your mom if you want. You're... 14 now, right?" Hinata nods and the smile returns to Emily's face.

Her mother quickly agrees to let Hinata have dinner with the beautiful young woman.

–

She decides to walk to their house. It's not very far—only about 3 minutes by car.

She can smell the food before she even gets close to the door. It's spaghetti; something she's had dozens, if not hundreds, of times since she was born into this world—but it has never smelled so good before.

Her mouth waters as she steps through the door. Almost immediately, Emily bounds over to her and wraps her arms around Hinata's shoulders. "I'm really glad you could make it!" She says. Though the words are a bit cheesy, Hinata can tell from the warmth in her big brown eyes, that Emily means it.

"It's uh... nice to see you again, Hinata. It's been awhile." The young girl smiles at the deep baritone of Sam's voice. "I-It's nice to see you again too, S-Sam." Before the silence can turn awkward, Emily ushers Hinata into the kitchen with her.

"Why don't you sit down, Sam? The food'll be done soon." The man laughs, silently agreeing.

In the back of her mind, Hinata realizes that she has never heard Sam laugh like that before—especially not around Leah.

"So... you and Seth huh?" Emily giggles at the blooming blush on the other girl's cheeks. "I think it's really cute, actually... you two really suit each other." Hinata can't stop the her smile from erupting.

She... is actually really beginning to like Seth. She likes his voice, his fingers, his smile, his _personality. _She likes him so much, that thoughts of Naruto are beginning to lessen. She doesn't think she'll ever stop loving Naruto, though. She doesn't even think it's possible.

With a shake of her head, she shrugs. "He... he's nice." She whispers. Emily merely smiles in understanding.

The night goes by without much trouble. Emily burns herself on one of the plates and Sam practically has a heart attack. Once again, Hinata is shocked by the amount of love in his eyes.

And once again, she is reminded of the stories she heard at the bonfire. Something about soul mates.

She is almost positive that the term applies to them.

–

When she meets up with Seth after school that Thursday, he easily slips his hand in hers and smiles brightly down at her. He stands at 5'6; practically a giant compared to her 5'1.

She returns the gesture, hesitantly leaning up to press her lips to the side of his mouth. His eyes close as he leans forward, pressing himself against her. His other hand gently grasps her hip; his fingertips massaging her lower back. She smiles into the kiss, before stepping back, her breaths heavy.

"Uhh... nice afternoon we're h-having, huh?" Seth mumbles, eyes half-lidded. Hinata bites her bottom lip, attempting to stifle her laugh. "V-very nice afternoon indeed," She whispers back.

–

She still trains. She still works hard to master the techniques she learned a lifetime ago.

Her chakra is strong now—even stronger than before. She is able to fly through the Hyuuga stances—_16 palms; 32 palms; 64. _The air around her hands crackles in power and she can't help but love the feel of it.

That is not to say that she hasn't had her share of failures, though.

She has gone home with 3rd degree burns covering her hands—covering almost her entire body at times. She's bled and cried and felt frustration. She has fallen from the trees she works so hard at times to scale. She's even broken bones.

It's hard to explain what's happened to her parents, so she usually doesn't even try. She hides behind large jackets and baggy pants and tries not to flinch _too _badly if they touch a spot that's especially sore.

She doesn't want to worry them; she doesn't want to worry Seth either.

–


	9. Chapter Eight

It's the first time she's worn a bathing suit to First Beach.

It's a one-piece; modest and perhaps something an old woman would wear, but Seth's breath is taken away. He immediately latches his arms around her waist and holds her close to his chest.

"You look beautiful," He whispers, burying his nose in the crook of her shoulder. She can't stop her grin; he can't stop himself from being blown away by her smile.

Leaning her back against his chest, she wonders when she started to think about Seth more than Naruto—more than Konoha, more than the life she left behind. She wonders when she began to truly love him. She knows, though, that she isn't _in _love with him. That's a term far too powerful for even her—at least for now. She ignores the whispers in the back of her mind, calling her a traitor. Wasn't she in love with Naruto? _Isn't _she in love with him? But she pushes those thoughts to the darkest corner of her brain and attempts to focus on the now.

He places a soft, hesitant kiss to her neck, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Willing herself to calm down, she turns around and places her hand in his. "L-let's go swimming?" Throwing a gentle smirk her way, Seth nods.

They spend the rest of the summer afternoon in the water, splashing and playing and talking about anything and everything. Hinata feels more happiness in those few hours than she has in months—all thanks to Seth.

They're laying on their towels under an umbrella.

"Your mother is Japanese, right?" Seth asks, glancing in the direction of his... girlfriend. He still can't believe he is able to call her that. He's the luckiest 15 year old alive, he decides.

Hinata nods. Seth smiles. "Do you speak any of the language?"

Her heart jerks, but she whispers an affirmative none the less. She has only spoken a few rare words of Japanese since she arrived in this world 14 years ago. Her mother knows nothing about her daughter's ability to speak more than one language—Hinata never had any intention of someone finding out. But this is Seth, and Seth is... he is important. She doesn't want to lie to him.

He jerks up, grinning like a little boy (which he is, compared to her 30 years, Hinata reminds herself sullenly). "Awesome! Can you say something? Say uh... something about me!" He's smiling so hard Hinata can't help but wonder how his jaws aren't hurting.

With a tender smile, she pauses. Finally, in Japanese, she says: "_I... __I'm really starting to like you. I'm__even __beginning to love you more than... N-Naruto-kun, Seth. You're sweet and gentle and strong and you understand me more than anyone else I've ever met in this world—you understand me even more than you probably should. Thank you." _

Seth stares at her, awe-struck. "That was amazing! I have no idea what you said, but... but it was cool!" Hinata smiles, fighting down a blush. "Thanks." Silently, she's glad he doesn't ask what she said.

"That's what the last thing meant, right? _Ar-arigato? _It means thank you, right?" Hinata nods, a small giggle leaving her lips. Seth's dark brown eyes trail down to glance at her mouth, causing her blush to intensify.

"Can I kiss you?" His words are quiet and his eyes are smoldering. She almost feels herself burning from the inside out—but in a good way. In a _great_ way.

"Y-you never have to ask that, Seth."

They both lean in and meet each other half way.

–

She taps her fingers gently against the desk. She knows that no one, not even herself, is able to hear it. She pads her fingers with chakra every time she does something that may cause disruption to others, after all. It's good practice for chakra control—and she still needs the practice. Managing to just usher power into one part of her body and keep it there was no problem in her past life... but now, it's a bit more difficult. Certainly not as hard as when she first began to work on it, but it still causes trouble at times for her.

It's the last class of the day until the weekend approaches and Hinata is definitely more than thankful. There has been a lot of work this week, and although she's been able to understand and finish most of it, it's still a pain to have so much work on her shoulders. She's a senior now, though. A senior at the age of 14...

She knows that it's not exactly normal here to graduate so soon—but she's glad that she decided to skip a few grades. She can't wait until she gets out of high school, even if it means not being around Seth as much. She just wants to get to college, get a job around the reservation, and—

and what? She wants to stay with Seth, but he's only 15. She's 30 and has had many years to wonder about how she wants her life to end up. For 16 of those years, though, she imagined herself as the wife of a certain future-Hokage. She imagined herself being by Naruto's side for the rest of her life. But then things changed—lives were taken away and new beginnings were given. Then again, though, she never even really expected herself to live past 30, anyways. It's about the average age most Shinobi make it to before they die—either killed on a mission or of the years of danger finally catching up to them.

In a way, she's almost happy that she no longer has to worry about being the heiress to a clan that never really wanted her to begin with, or the weak link between her teammates, or the one who always comes in last place.

She's glad that she doesn't have to worry anymore about assassins or disapproving glances from her father, or being the reason why a mission failed. She's glad that she doesn't have to deal with the words and hushed insults behind her back. She's glad to be done with Shinobi business.

At the same time, though, she misses it more than anything. She misses her teammates; the comradery between them. She misses the village she grew up in, and the family that never really showed her much love. She misses Naruto; the boy who gave her everything without ever really knowing. She misses the feeling of being _needed_ by a village—even though she knows that she never really offered it anything but her undying loyalty.

She misses it so much she could die. Again.

But as she thinks of Seth and her new friends and the love she actually receives from her family, she knows that it almost seems better this way.

It's not as if she was forced to forget her past life—someone or something allowed her to remember. She can still be a Hyuuga, even if it's not in name any more. She can still shape and manipulate her chakra. She still _has_ chakra. She's been blessed by an unknown deity, and she's more than thankful for being able to do the things she can.

With a gentle sigh, she shakes those thoughts out of her head and gathers her stuff together as the bell rings shrilly overhead.

She makes her way out of the classroom, glancing around for Seth. He normally meets her outside of her class—but he's no where in sight. She figures he's just running a bit late.

With her back leaned against someone locker, she closes her eyes and attempts to drown out the sounds in the hallway. No matter how hard she tries, she can still hear it; hear everything. She can hear heels clicking and sneakers squeaking against the linoleum. She hears the loud smack of lockers being slammed shut, and the rustling of papers.

She hears people breathing, and suddenly, she feels someone's breath blowing against her lips.

Snapping her eyes open, she instantly relaxes at the sight of Seth. He smiles and leans forward, pressing his mouth to hers. She's normally not interested in public displays of affection—but it's not as if people are really paying attention to them. Everyone is interested in getting home on a Friday afternoon.

Pressing his warm palm to her hip, he pushes himself closer to her. Their groins touch.

Hinata can't stop the gasp from leaving her lips. For just a split second, it felt like an electric current is running up her spine.

Seth grins against her lips, slipping his tongue into the warm cavern of her mouth. Her heart nearly stops, but she doesn't turn her head or tell him to stop—then again, she can't really say _anything _with her mouth preoccupied like this.

She tentatively presses her small hands to his chest and relaxes at the feel of his erratic heartbeat against her palms. He is as nervous as she is.

Only when the need for air overcomes the desire they're both feeling, does Seth pull away. He rests his forehead against hers, leaning down to look into her eyes. His cheeks are flushed, just as she imagines her own to be. His fingers play with the hem of her shirt and the smile on his lips is bright.

She closes her eyes and leans up to press another chaste kiss to his mouth.

She really, really likes this boy.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Thanks to everyone that has reviewed. (: **

She wakes up gasping; searching for the air that she can't quite find.

She heaves and huffs and clenches the blanket in her fists. Her mind is racing and her eyes burn—like the first time she activated her Byakugan, except a hundred times worse.

Attempting to ignore the pounding in her ears, she swings her legs over the side of the bed and leans down, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees.

"Oh god, oh god, _oh god." _She whispers over and over, ignoring the liquid rolling down her cheeks. After several moments, she stands up, only to stumble back down. She lets out a whine and bites down hard on her bottom lip, not wanting to wake her parents. How would she explain _this?_

_Sorry mom, dad... just had a nightmare about slitting the throat of an unsuspecting Mist shinobi! No big deal._

Her first kill. The first time she took away someone's _life. _She was 13 and she was with her team in Kumogakure. It was a long mission, but they had their sensei and all they had to do was deliver a scroll—nothing too important, Tsunade-sama had said. No one should have been trying to get the scroll from them, but there _was_.

Team 8 was ambushed. They were strong and Hinata was _scared. _She activated her bloodline limit and tried not to get hit; tried to protect herself, her teammates, and the scroll that they still hadn't managed to deliver. Kicks and punches were delivered to her person—the bruises took weeks to heal, she remembers, and she was left with a tiny scar on her collarbone—but she managed to incapacitate the one attacking her. She was proud or herself. She didn't need Kiba or Shino to help her, for once.

From the corner of her eye, she saw one of the enemies with his kunai aiming directly towards Kiba's throat. Kiba didn't see it coming, but the Mist nin didn't see Hinata coming either. She stabbed the man directly in his jugular—not even flinching as the blood squirted out and splattered against her cheek. Kiba turned and thanked her, and though Hinata would do it over and over again if it meant saving Kiba's life, she had nightmares about it for years. She thought she was over it.

Apparently not.

She knows, in the back of her mind, that it's silly to be so worked up about something like this. At least she killed protecting a teammate, and not for a mission or a petty political squabble—many people hire shinobi to take out their political adversaries, after all. Minor clan-heads; princes or princesses of tiny countries. Hinata had never done an assassination mission, and for that, she is more than thankful. She doesn't like the feel of having someone else's blood on her hands.

Wrapping herself tightly in the comforter of her bed, she stifles the tears and forces herself to stay still. As the minutes pass, she knows that sleep is impossible.

It's 3:07am and she doesn't want to sit still.

So she gets up, pulls on a pair of sweatpants, grabs her winter coat, stuffs her feet into a pair of furry boots, opens the window and jumps down. Her room is on the second floor of the house, but she's jumped from higher places; fallen even deeper. She smiles at the sound of snow crunching underneath of her feet.

Hinata walks through the woods for a long time, only stopping once she reaches a tree almost as high as the sky.

She places her right foot on the bark, pushing lightly. Sucking in a breath of frigid air, she pumps chakra into her feet and begins to climb.

It only takes a few minutes to get to the top. Would have taken less, if she wasn't taking her time, she muses.

As she stares down at the tiny town of La Push, she feels... almost like a god, looking down at her creation. Of course, she didn't create La Push, or _anything _in it, but... well, imagination has to count for something, doesn't it?

She waves her hand slowly through the air, allowing chakra to circulate around it. The blue glow calms her soul, and within moments, she feels exhaustion hit her.

Deciding to risk it, she plants her butt on the limb below her, leans against the trunk of the tree and—

and she sleeps.

She dreams of crimson flowing from the enemy's neck; gratitude of saving lives; scars that never go away, and bruises that never seem to heal. She dreams of missions gone wrong and nights where her own sobs awaken her. She dreams of feeling weak and inadequate; of feeling her bones ache. She dreams of never waking up—

–

She wakes up to the howling of wolves.

She huddles into her coat and watches as the sun come up; yellows and purples and blues swirling together to create an abstract work of art. As the howls grow in number, Hinata closes her eyes and wonders, silently, if one of these wolves is the same one she saw months ago. Body of a wolf... heart of a human.

Did their group—ah, pack, grow? Or is she just being silly?

There are many wolves in La Push. _Just _wolves. Not werewolves or hybrids or magical creatures.

She can't stop herself from activating her Byakugan—she hisses at the burn—and making sure, though.

There are 3 of them, only about 20 meters away.

Bodies of wolves; hearts of humans.

Though she wants to watch them—see if they're just wolves or something more—she knows that she needs to get home. Her parents are most likely already awake. If she's lucky, they haven't checked her room yet. If she's _not _lucky... then, well, she's gonna have to come up with something to say.

_Sorry mom, dad; just went for a walk in the snow with temperatures below freezing. _

Not completely impossible.


	11. Chapter Ten

It's the night before her 15th birthday when she hears a soft tapping outside of her bedroom window.

Normally, Hinata would ignore it. She would play it off on a woodpecker or another animal, and _ignore it. _

But for some reason, she gets up and pulls the curtains back, only to let out a tiny gasp. Seth stares up at her from the ground, grinning widely at the look on her face.

The day before had been Christmas—a holiday she wasn't used to from her past life, but found herself actually liking. Or, well, she found herself liking the gifts, really. Seth gave her a scarf and a heavy blue sweater. "For the cold La Push winters," He told her. She has already put them to good use.

"Come down?" He mouths, burying his hands in his puffy jacket. Light snow is beginning to fall from the sky, dusting the ground in a soft white.

Hinata hesitates. She doesn't want to get into trouble. She doesn't want her parents to walk in and see she's gone. She doesn't want to freeze her butt off, either. Most importantly, though, she doesn't want to disappoint Seth. So with a tiny nod at the boy, she closes the curtains and turns around to grab her winter jacket out of the closet. Slipping on some furry boots, she moves as quietly as she can down the stairs to the backdoor.

As soon as she opens the door, Seth steps forward and wraps his arms around her, burying her head in his chest. "You're warm," She whispers, not surprised at all. Seth is always so warm, no matter how cold the weather is.

"You're cold," He teases back, holding her tighter.

Enjoying the feel of his body against hers, Hinata almost forgets to ask him why he wanted her to come down.

"What, I can't want to spend time with my girlfriend before her birthday?" He places a chaste kiss to her forehead, causing her heart to warm. Closing her eyes, she offers a shrug. "O-of course, but... do you have to d-do it when it's so _cold_ out?" He lets out a chuckle. Her toes clench at the sound. "Not my fault your birthday is at the end of the year." He nuzzles her neck gently. "But at least you've me here to warm you up, huh?"

He lets out a dramatic sigh, stepping away from her, but still pulling her along with him. "But you're right. We should go somewhere a little warmer." Shooting her a teasing smile, they walk until they make it to his house—his _empty _house.

"Mom and Dad are down at the Makah Reservation, visiting Emily's family. Leah... well, I don't really know where Leah is. She didn't want to go with them, but she didn't want to stay home for the holidays either." Seth shrugged. "I didn't want to miss your birthday, so I stayed." Though Hinata can't help but feel a little guilty—she's the reason Seth isn't with his family, after all—she can't stop the giant smile from spreading across her face.

"Thank you," She mutters softly. Seth grins down at her, pulling her into the house.

"Anything for you." And though his voice is light, she can tell he means it.

Their coats are wet from the snow and are quickly discarded on the floor. Seth goes to turn on the heater, still holding her tiny hand in his. He doesn't like how cold her fingertips are, so he brings them up to his lips and gently blows warm air onto them. Not even attempting to stifle his grin, he gently tugs her over to the small sofa in the middle of his living room.

She sits beside him, pulling her legs up to her chest. He copies her movements, staring at her all the while. Finally, he wiggles his eyebrows. She cracks a smile.

"Happy birthday," Seth whispers, catching a glimpse of the clock that reads _12:03 _on the table beside the couch. Hinata chuckles. "Thanks."

Seth leans back, fishing in the pocket of his jeans. After a moment, he pulls out a box. "It's not much," He says. "I was originally going to give it to you on Christmas, but... well, it seems more special if I give it to you now." Raising her eyebrows, Hinata leans forward to take the top off of the box. He bites his bottom lip, silently watching.

_It's a wolf. _Or, well, not a _real _wolf, of course. It's a necklace with a little, wooden wolf _on it._

"I made it myself." Seth whispers, as Hinata's eyes widen. "Wolves are, uh... a pretty big part of Quileute history, you know? And uh... well, I just thought, since you live here now—" He's cut off by Hinata throwing her arms around him.

"I-It's great," She tells him. The wolf is a bit clunky and a bit awkward, but she loves it. She really does. Seth grins brightly.

"I'm glad you like it."

* * *

She is on her way out of the classroom door when her English teacher calls her name.

Blinking, Hinata trudges over to his desk, repositioning the books in her arms. They're _huge_, but another good thing about having chakra is that she doesn't have to worry much about how much things weigh anymore.

"Hinata," He begins, letting out a sigh. "You're my best student, you know? In all of my classes." She blushes at the praise, quietly glowing. "And... I know that you must have a lot of work to do in your other classes, but can I ask a favor of you?" He doesn't wait for her answer. "You've heard of Embry Call, right? He's a Junior in my 3rd period." Slowly, Hinata nods. She _has_ heard of him, but only in passing. He and his two friends—Quil and Jack, or... something—have been known to have an unbreakable friendship. She wonders, silently, if it's true.

"Good, good. Not that it matters, I mean... ah, well, he's been missing a lot of school lately. His mother, Ms. Call, called the school early this morning, asking for all the work he's missed. Apparently, he's going to be absent for at least another week. I would normally take the work to him myself, but you live so close and—" Hinata cuts him off.

"I w-would be h-happy to, Mr. Watkins." He smiles tiredly at her—and only then does she notice the bags under his eyes.

"Excellent."

He hands her a packet with Embry's address on top, and sends her on her way.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**A bit of citrus in this chapter. Nothing very graphic, but uh... yeah, you've been warned. (: Also, thanks again for all of the reviews. Embry will fall in pretty soon, but he's not going to be a major character for at least another chapter or two.**

Embry's house is small.

This is Hinata's first thought—and though she feels a bit bad about her next few (about the rotten flower garden on the side, or the rotting roof, or the moss crawling up the side of the house, or the messy stone-walkway job), she shakes her head and steps up to the front porch. She knocks on the door several times and waits.

Minutes pass, as she readjusts the folder in her arms, and then readjusts it again. She figures that he's probably just sleeping. He's sick, after all. But she said that she would deliver the folder—and she isn't about to leave without at least _trying _to give it to Embry. Finally, just as she is about to knock once more, the door is snatched open.

Hinata jumps, startled.

The boy in front of her is easily pushing 6 feet tall—she can tell, even as his nose is facing the ground. His eyes are clenched tight and his fist is holding the wall as if it is a lifeline.

"_What?" _He snarls quietly, wincing almost as soon as the word leaves his lips. She wonders if he's apologetic at his tone, or merely sensitive to sounds-even the sound of his own voice.

He doesn't look at her once, even as she begins to speak.

"M-Mr. Watkins wanted m-me to deliver your work to you. Y-your mom called," He furrows his brow. "saying that y-you would be absent for awhile longer... ah, um... I-I'm Hinata, by the way, and uh... if you need some help, I would b-be happy to offer it." She attempts a bright smile, wilting a bit when he continues to stand there.

Finally, she sighs and holds out the folder.

"Thanks," He sighs gently, reaching forward to take the folder from her grip. He still doesn't look into her eyes. He doesn't look anywhere but at the folder and the ground.

"You're welcome." She whispers, turning on her heel as the door clicks shut once more.

–

She wonders, silently, how in the world they managed to get here—him above her, his fingers in her panties. In _her._ He's buried up to his knuckles; two of his digits being pressed tightly around by her walls. His thumb rubs roughly against her clit, as she mewls his name over and over. Her toes clench as electricity runs up her spine. It's as if lava is rolling around in the pit of her stomach; heat flooding to her crotch and coating his fingers. _His fingers. _She stifles a moan as he adds a third.

His nose brushes along the side of her throat as they both pant; their breaths mingle and mix, but neither of them mind.

"_Sethsethseth," _She sighs in one breath, attempting to spread her thighs farther apart. She hears him chuckle in the crook of her shoulder. "_Hinatahinatahinata," _He mutters back, pressing a kiss to her bare flesh. Her shirt is off, but her bra is not. Not that it's doing much, he muses. Her breasts hang almost freely, as the thin piece of cloth barely covers her chest.

His lips find something new to do, as they latch around an exposed nipple. Her breath catches in her throat, but a groan still escapes.

As Seth curls his fingers and stretches her even further (_ohgodohgodohgod she didn't even think that was possible), _Hinata almost screams as the anticipation and heat and _fire_ builds—she knows, if he would just go a little faster, a little deeper, a little harder—

as her vision goes blinding white and her body turns to fire, she can't stop herself from crying out. As she rides out the high and Seth's fingers continue to drill into her, she barely notices the pinch of pain. But then the pinch turns into a punch, and the punch turns into _terribleterribleterrible _aching.

She lets out a hiss as tears prickle her eyes.

Seth stops immediately, snapping his head up to look at her.

"D-did... did I _hurt you_?" He sounds worried, and Hinata wants nothing more than to reassure him that she's fine. But as the pain stays, she knows that she _isn't _fine.

Slowly, Seth pulls his hand out of her panties, sucking in a breath at the sight of crimson.

His hand is covered in her blood and he looks _disgusted. _

Hinata's eyes go wide at the sight; even wider at the sight of Seth.

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-so s-sorry," She manages to whisper after several tries, attempting to ignore the tears beginning to roll down her flushed cheeks.

_Oh god, he's mad. He's mad, isn't he? He's grossed out. He's fucking disgusted by her._

She doesn't blame him. She hopes he doesn't blame _her _for snatching her pants from the floor and pulling her shirt back over her head.

She's gone before he even knows what to say.

–

Hinata presses her face further into her pillow, only coming up when the need for oxygen grew too much.

She knows what happened. How could she not? Her father—her _Hyuuga_ father—had someone teach her all about sex when she was a young girl, and how she _wasn't supposed to have it until she was married. _The old woman's name was Hiyoko, and just like most other Hyuugas, she was stoic and impersonal. She didn't blush or flutter or any of the things that Hinata did, as she went through the diagrams of the human body.

"Do not allow anyone other than your husband or a doctor to touch you here, Hinata-sama." Hiyoko said, pointing directly to the crotch of the person on the diagram. "Do you understand?" Hinata would nod and silently pray that the lessons would just be over soon.

Hiyoko explained what sex was; how it happened; what happened if it went right (a child, Hiyoko said. The only reason Hinata needed to have sex was to reproduce. It went unsaid, but Hinata knew.); what happened the first time she did it. She would bleed and feel pain, but she had to bear through it. Her hymen would break. It would hurt.

That's what happened. Even if it didn't involve actual sex, Hinata knows.

Hinata clenches her eyes shut and hopes silently that Seth will speak to her soon. Even if it's just enough time for her to apologize.

_I'm sorry I got my vaginal blood all over your hand, Seth! _

She sighs.

–

The next time she sees Seth is in the hallway of school. For once, they aren't walking together. Her heart lurches in her chest at the sight of him and she pauses. He does the same, staring into her eyes.

Slowly, he walks forward. She waits.

As his lips descend on to hers and a million apologies flow from both of their lips, all of Hinata's doubts go away. She's _glad _that Seth was the one to take her virginity—even if it didn't happen the way it should have. Then again, she figures it doesn't matter much.

They speak after school. Seth talked to his father about it, much to Hinata's embarrassment.

"My dad said that... that it's normal for girls to bleed th-the first time that uh... that they..." He trails off, allowing her to fill in the blanks. _She knows, _she wants to say, but she's too mortified to even open her mouth.

"I-it just means that... that I'm the first person to ever touch you that way." He mutters. _The first time in either of her liftetimes._

"And... this might be a-a little forward, but... I want to be the _only _person to ever touch you like that, if... if you're alright with that." He looks straight into her eyes, gently lacing his fingers in hers. Hinata swallows loudly and nods, almost unnoticeable. Seth visibly relaxes.

He leans forward and stops just an inch from her lips. "I love you," He mutters, pressing his mouth to hers.

Hinata simply melts.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**A/N; **Sorry for such a long wait. o-o A bit more citrus in this chapter, but still not very graphic, haha.

The next time Hinata sees Emily Young, the older girl—now a woman, Hinata realizes—is in a hospital bed. Her face is wrapped up in bandages and the heart monitor next to her bed beats steadily. Sue, Harry, Seth, and _Leah _are all out in the hallway, giving Sam—_Samsamsam_; Leah wants him gone, Hinata can tell. But Sam doesn't leave, even as his eyes glaze over with tears and he almost breaks down—time to visit his girlfriend.

Hinata sits with Seth, holding his hand gently. "They say she was attacked by a bear," He whispers, his voice cracking. She rubs circles into the back of his hand and though she nods and continues to murmur words of comfort... in the back of her mind, she is reminded of the wolves. The wolves with the hearts of men.

She wonders, once again, if the legends she heard at a bonfire all those years ago, are just legends, or something more.

As Sam storms down the hallway, shaking from head to toe, Hinata sucks in a breath. His eyes are dark; haunted and filled with so much guilt and self-loathing she finds herself shivering.

Did he do that to Emily? Is that why he's sad? Why he's _guilty? _

She forces herself to cut off that train of thought. She will not allow herself to think that. She likes Sam. She doesn't want to think of him as an abusive man; as an abusive, _shape-shifting_ man.

It's just not possible, is it? But then again, she has chakra circulating through her veins... why can't there be other 'magical' things in the world?

They find out a few days later that Emily will survive. The scars will forever remain. The bright red is supposed to fade, the doctors say (they will soon find out that they were wrong.) As they unwrap the gauze that practically held Emily's face together for the past 4 weeks, Hinata is the only one that doesn't reel back at the sight.

She is mutilated—but she's still Emily. She's still beautiful. Hinata has had her fair share of scars—so, so many scars. She offers a hand when Emily begins to cry and tries to smile as her fingers are squeezed tight.

The only thing Emily can say is _Sam, _and Leah looks as if she wants to hit something—or some_one. _Hinata isn't quite sure if she wants to hurt Emily or Sam, or even herself. She figures that, even though she's curious, it's none of her business.

She offers her support, and that's all she can give.

–

On Seth's 16th birthday, Leah let's him borrow her car—only after threatening to castrate him if he so much as leaves a _knick _on it.

He feels nerves fizzing underneath of his skin as he waits outside of Hinata's house. It's a small place, but not quite homey, like his own home is. Seth has never really had much of a relationship with Hinata's parents. He knows that her mother is Japanese and that her father is Makah, but... that's about it. They've given their daughter permission to date him and that's all he can really ask for. He has seen her mother in the supermarket at times. She smiles and waves and asks him how his day has gone—but he can tell that she doesn't really care. The smile is fake, the wave is lazy. But he doesn't mind, because, honestly, he doesn't care about them either.

If, maybe, one day... he and Hinata decided to get married (one day; a day _far_ from today), then he figures that he should be on good terms with them, but... it seems, at times, that Hinata doesn't care much either. She always seems so responsible, but she almost never bothers to call and tell her parents if she's going to be out late, or if she is going somewhere after school. It seems, to Seth, that her parents don't care either way. For some reason, that makes his heart hurt

Parents should care. _His _parents do.

But as Hinata walks to the car, her hips swaying and mouth pulled up in a smile, he finds himself forgetting about all of that and focusing on _her. _

She kisses him when she gets in the car and compliments him on the ride. "It's Leah's," he says, but thanks her none the less.

He drives them to First Beach. It's a chilly evening and there's no one there. It's a shame, he can't help but think. The sunset is almost as beautiful as the girl in front of him.

He places a towel down and pulls her into his lap when he sits down. He nuzzles her neck and smiles at the content sigh she lets out. His fingers rest on the inside of her bare thigh—he really, really likes her dress. White and pure—just like her. Or, maybe not, he muses, considering what they did weeks before.

She leans into his chest and doesn't stop him from grazing his fingers between her legs. He breathes her name and slips his fingers past the elastic of her cotton panties. He rubs against her nub with his thumb, slipping a digit into her already slick folds. Hinata lets out a gasp, jerking her hips. Her ass thrusts against his jean-clad groin and he can't stop the groan from leaving his lips.

She freezes, but he doesn't stop his movements—unless she tells him to, he doesn't know if he can.

When she grips his wrist and turns around to look into his eyes, he pauses. At her next words, his cock goes stiff.

"I want you to make l-love to me."

And he does.

Over and over.

–

When Embry comes back to school, Hinata doesn't even notice. She's too busy having a panic attack in the girl's bathroom.

She can't believe she slept with him.

Or, well, she can. And she really, really likes the thought—but how could she be so _irresponsible? _He didn't have protection; she isn't exactly on birth control. She didn't think she would actually sleep with Seth, after all, even after what happened... before. In her past life, the very _idea_ of sex before marriage was frowned upon. She, at the very least, has _always_ believed in only sleeping with someone if you're in love with them; if you plan on spending all of your life with them.

She loves Seth. She's probably _in_ love with him, too.

She stares into the dirty mirror, clenching the tile sink tightly in her fists. She breathes in the stench of a nasty, high school bathroom, and after several minutes... she sighs.

All she wanted was to make Seth's 16th birthday memorable... She wanted _it_ just as much as him, though, if not even more—she's had to wait _16 years_ longer than him to have sex, after all. In the back of her mind, she realizes that it was worth the wait.

Sucking in a short breath, she figures that whatever happens will happen. She—_they—_will get through it. She only has 4 more months until she's out of high school, after all; until she's in college. She already has a few dozen letters from universities all around America; some even from other countries. She's given a few thoughts to the schools in Japan, but... she knows that she would rather stay close to La Push. She wants to stay near Seth—especially if she _is _pregnant. Hinata isn't stupid enough to think it's impossible.

She jumps, startled, as the bell for 3rd period rings. Running a hand through her long hair, she nods and heads off.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

During lunch, Seth always mooches off of her plate.

She doesn't mind, though. She doesn't care much for the sloppy mystery meat or the soggy steamed carrots.

As he swallows down a mouthful of food and leans to the side to rest his head on her shoulder, he can't stop the content sigh from leaving his lips. "Wanna do something after school?" He murmurs, his breath tickling her ear. Hinata smiles, gently nodding.

"What'd you have in mind?" Seth shrugs.

"We could always just go to First Beach. Or uh... Port Angeles for a movie, I guess. It's Friday." She hums thoughtfully. A movie doesn't sound so bad... she doesn't really feel like going so far, though, especially since Seth will most likely have to beg Leah for her car.

After a few moments of silence, Seth adds; "Or we could just hang out in my living room. I'm sure my mom would love to see you."

She likes this idea even more.

–

Sue Clearwater is a lovely woman.

She's beautiful and an amazing cook.

When she pinches Hinata's cheeks and coos over how much she's grown over the years ("_but still so darn cute!"), _Hinata can't help but feel loved. A bit embarrassed, sure, but still loved. She hasn't had a very close relationship with either of her parents for the past few years—basically since she discovered her Byakugan, she muses. She figures it's because she's even closer to her past life; to her old self now. She hasn't really been interested in much of _this_ life—except Seth and school and making sure her future will be even better than it was before. She knows she should care about her parents more; should try to reach out and have a better relationship with them... she's been given a second chance at having parents who _care. _But... it doesn't feel right to her. No matter how many times she calls them 'mom' and 'dad', she can never get the faces of her real Oka-chan and Oto-sama out of her head.

Then again, she barely remembers her _Oka-chan, _and the memories she has of Oto-_sama _are not the most pleasant.

Once his mother heads back to whatever it is she was doing before—most likely cooking dinner, he figures—Seth grips his girlfriend's hand and tugs her towards the couch. She smiles and allows him to pull her along.

The feel of their fingers laced together is like magic.

–

Hinata finally settles on a college in Seattle. It's close enough to La Push but still a decent school. Once she got a glimpse of the courses they offer, it only takes a second for her to pick it.

She wants to study history—Japanese history, to be exact.

She isn't entirely sure if she's in another world or just a million years ahead of time. If she _is _in the future, though... how in the world did they manage to lose chakra? Why aren't there still shinobi? Are there some in Japan? She had asked her mother when she was little if there were—her mother simply said, "Oh, yes, there are ninja—not very modern ones, though. My little sunshine... did you wanna be a ninja?" She cooed and coddled and pressed her palms to her daughter's cheeks. Hinata didn't ask her mother another question for at least two years after that.

–

The next time she trains, it's raining, which is really nothing new. Her eyes are blazing with Byakugan, and her fists are lined with chakra. The tree in front of her is practically mangled; shattered and battered with no chance of recovery. She's angry for some reason, and has no idea why.

Her hair is weighed down and wet, sticking to her face and back of her neck. Her hands have cuts from when she wasn't careful enough, but she barely feels them. Just the sting as rain hits.

It happens in a split second; her shoulder jerks, tingling in electricity and her fingers uncurl from fists. Her hand still hits the tree and she can only wince as a loud _crack _fills the air.

Her eyes snap to her hand, morbid curiosity burning in her chest. "Damn it," She sighs, gently lifting her broken hand with her other. Three fingers are snapped, bone peeks out through flesh and the blood is almost sickening.

With pursed lips, she knows that she can't go home like this. It's almost 3 in the morning and what could she say to her parents? "_Oh, sorry, I just slipped in the forest... again." _This isn't the first time she's broken bones, after all.

Closing her eyes, she battles the wave of tears threatening to take over. She's tired. Exhausted of all of _this. _Pretending and lying and acting like she isn't a Kunoichi. She doesn't want to dance around it anymore; doesn't want to have to act like she isn't Hinata Hyuga, a girl who lived and died protecting her village—protecting her friends and comrades.

If she was in Konoha still, all she'd have to do is head over to the hospital and get it fixed up in a matter of minutes. No casts or splints or gauze.

She had tried being a medic-nin once. She was 13 and enrolled in the courses along with Ino and Sakura—Sakura, of course, made it farther than either of them. Hinata tried her best, but... she never really got it. _It's like putting together pieces of a puzzle, Hinata. _She remembers Sakura saying, attempting to help her friend.

But it never really _clicked. _

She figures she has nothing but time to lose, so she settles down at the base of the mangled tree, gently lies her broken hand on her thigh and... tries to heal.

Her left hand glows bright with green chakra (she can do that, at least. She just can't really _do_ anything with it), as she lowers it to her right hand. Breathing in a steadying breath, she tries to concentrate; tries to block out the sounds of the forest; of owls hooting, bugs buzzing, rain splattering on leaves, _wolves howling. _She hopes that none of those wolves are Sam.

She tries to see it as a puzzle; picking the bones out and putting them on the side, attempting to put them together to make a picture.

It's strange. She's only ever attempted to heal _fish _before (which was stationary for every up-coming medic), and it's especially weird doing it on herself. But she tries to carry on.

Sweat trickles down her forehead and the rain feels icy against her skin.

After what seems like hours, when her chakra feels like it's almost _gone, _she forces herself to stop. She knows that if she were a more experienced medic, she wouldn't be feeling so much chakra exhaustion—but she's pretty much completely new at this sort of thing. She only sat through 3 medic-classes before her father decided that her time could be better spent else where.

"No daughter of mine is going to be a _medic." _He spat the word with such distaste, she found herself shivering.

Glancing down at her hand, she smiles tiredly. It's almost completely healed. Sore and bruised, but the bones aren't broken anymore.

She feels proud of herself. And it feels good.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: **Okay, so, a lot happens in this chapter and some of you may not be too happy about it, but it's the way I've imagined it since the start. I'm setting the groundwork for something larger, so don't give up on it, haha. (: Thank you for the reviews.

* * *

Because of cold weather of La Push, Hinata rarely wears shirts that show her arms. She almost always wears a scarf, and she rarely looks at her naked figure in the mirror.

So when she's stepping out of the shower one day and glances at her reflection, she can't stop the gasp when she sees something on her collarbone. A _scar_, the same place she had one in her past li—

She blinks and rubs her eyes, leaning closer to the mirror. She had completely forgotten about the scar. If it weren't for that dream she had _months _ago, she wouldn't even be thinking about it. She'd pass it off as some random injury she got training. Maybe that's what happened. Maybe she's just over-thinking it. It's just a coincidence, she tells herself, and shoves it to the back of her mind.

She doesn't think about it for another week—when another dream comes.

–

_There aren't many things Hinata can say she is truly, truly terrified of. She is afraid of things, but not many of them can make her heart break; make her sweat bullets, or feel like she's dying. _

_Being abandoned is one of the things she can barely even _fathom, _let alone handle. But she _has_ been abandoned. She _has _had her love shoved back at her. She _has_ been rejected and ruined and felt like she has nothing left to live for._

_Her father looking down at her is one of the things she truly hates. The way his eyes harden as he looks as her—in disappointment, denial, pity, and most certainly not _love—_is something she used to have nightmares about. She lost her mother too early; lost her cousin too wrongly; lost her sister for no reason at all. She lost her father because she is weak. She knows she is, and doesn't need him to tell her—but he does anyway. And she doesn't tell him to stop, because she is a respectful daughter._

_Respectful, but not strong; not like Hanabi, who is the absolute apple of his fucking eye._

_Hinata doesn't want to be bitter; doesn't want to feel so badly about it. But her sister—the sister who took away the life of their mother and stole their father's adoration before she even uttered her first word..._

_Hinata loves her sister, but sometimes she wonders—in the deep, dark corners of her mind—what it would be like if Hanabi was never born; what it would be like if Hinata was the light of her father's eye, and if she still had her mother's arms to wrap around her._

_She still wouldn't be strong; would still be a bit of a disappointment... but her father would have nothing to compare her to. "How can you be so _weak, _Hinata? Your younger sister can beat you!" _

_And she can._

_Hanabi is stronger; is tougher; is less of a disaster._

_She can have Hinata gasping for breath in under a minute; can flip her on her back in under 3. _

_The first time Hiashi pits his daughters together, Hanabi is three and Hinata is six. Hanabi wins with only 6 months of training. Hinata loses with almost 4 years of it._

_He has them spar at least twice a month and only _once_ does his eldest daughter win. Hanabi felt pity for her, Hinata knew. Hinata hated it, but what could she do? She didn't expect her palm to hit, didn't expect Hanabi to hiss out in pain. But the look of astonishment and _pride_ in her father's eyes was enough to have her tear up._

_She didn't even come close to coming out on top again._

_When Hinata is 12 and Hanabi is 9, Hiashi tells them to fight._

_Hinata is proud of becoming a genin. She is proud of her team and proud of the few missions they've been able to complete—even if they're only taking care of kids, or rescuing cats, or taking out trash for the elderly. She's proud to finally be doing something. She feels as if she might actually have a chance at becoming something other than—_

_other than a failure._

_But as Hanabi's chakra-laced palm connects with her temple and she is slammed across the room, she wonders if having hope is really such a terrible thing._

_Her younger sister doesn't hold back. Her eyes blaze and her mouth is pulled into a sneer (so much like their father's, Hinata can't help but think with such blinding sadness, she almost can't stand it). Her palms strike Hinata furiously, bruising and breaking. The eldest girl tries to fight back; tries to hit and punch and strike, but each attempt is blocked. Each attempt ends with failure._

_Hanabi lets out a low snarl. When her fingers finally press roughly into the stomach of her sister, Hinata collapses, bloodied and wheezing. She doesn't get up until she's sure she won't cry. She isn't offered assistance or apologies. Her father doesn't look down his nose at her, or even shake his head—or, maybe he does. Her eyes are screwed shut. She can't see a thing._

_When she drags herself into her room and presses her face into her pillow, she sobs. Sobs long and hard and doesn't care if someone can see her with their Byakugan. If someone saw her, they would laugh. She knows it._

_She showers a few minutes later, tears on her cheeks and blood trailing down her arms, stomach and face. When she's clean, she merely sighs at the sight of a long cut on her left bicep. It's bright red, with inflamed pink flesh around it. She knows that within a month, it'll scar. _

_She can't find it in herself to care. _

–

She presses her forehead to the cool glass of the mirror. It feels good against her flushed skin, and she sighs. She's only wearing her panties and bra—white and soft and innocent and completely ignored, because the only things she can look at are the two 'new', light marks on her flesh.

On her collarbone...

and her left bicep.

She ignored the first because it just seemed like a coincidence. But now? There's no way. Especially since the stupid scar wasn't there yesterday. She wakes up and it's _there. _That doesn't just magically happen. It _can't_ happen; it's not logical.

Then again, neither is her existence here, in a world she doesn't really belong in.

It obviously has to do with her past life. Maybe it's not going to be so _past_ anymore. Will she have dreams of battles and little incidents until her 'new' body is covered in scars too? She used to see them as trophies; as little reminders that she isn't weak. That she survived those things; survived her sister, survived her first kill, survived—survived countless other things.

But now? She doesn't know how to feel. She's even closer to her life as Hinata _Hyuga, _which she should be happy for. But how will she ever explain these marks? Medic-nins can't get rid of scars, and even if they could, Hinata isn't anywhere close to figuring out how.

She won't be able to wear short-sleeves, not that she does it much anyways. She can get away with showing off her collarbone—not that she does that much either—simply because that scar is so _small. _So insignificant.

With pursed lips, Hinata closes her eyes tight and counts backwards from ten. There's no use crying, but she can feel the burn of tears.

Letting out a sigh, she turns and pulls on some clothes—jeans and a thick turtleneck. The same kind of outfit she'll be wearing for the next few... what, years? She snorts.

It's 7 o'clock and she has school in 30 minutes, but she doesn't feel like going. The idea of spending the next 7 hours in a stuffy building with kids who don't like her to begin with isn't exactly appealing—not when she's in the mood she's in.

So she decides to walk. Her boot-covered feet stamp against the old road. No one is out; everyone's in school or work and there aren't any sidewalks to begin with, so she doesn't care that she's walking in the street. She plays with a loose string in the pocket of her pants, staring down mindlessly at her steamy breath.

Without her even realizing it, she finds herself at the beach. She breathes in the smell of salt and shivers from the ocean breeze.

"It's cold." She states obviously to herself.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

She jumps, swirling around, only to catch a glimpse of some tall, shirtless guy—Embry, she realizes after a long moment. With pursed lips and distrusting eyes that don't quite meet his, she slowly turns back around, hesitantly keeping her back to him. She knows, no matter how ripped this boy may be, he's no match for what she's capable of now.

"Why aren't you in school?"

She narrows her eyes to the sea, feeling a burst of irritation go through her.

"W-why aren't _you?" _God _damn _that stutter, she snarls in her mind.

"Work." He says simply, with a hearty laugh. She almost rolls her eyes, but stops herself. Not that there's any reason to. He can't see her face.

When she doesn't say anything for several moments, he sighs.

"You shouldn't be alone. It isn't safe." She can't stop the laugh from leaving her cracked lips.

"Safe? You don't know _crap _about being safe, Embry." She hisses, her hands turning into fists.

"You're just some stupid boy who thinks he's stronger than every girl. You think you're a man, but you're not. You want to be a hero? Go help people who _need_ it. Not me. I won't _ever_ need your help." She doesn't know where it came from, but the words are out before she can even process them.

She's angry and tired and confused and _lonely, _and he's the only one she can take it out on. Because Seth isn't here and Seth is too nice and sweet and beautiful for her to ever be mad at, anyway. So she's gonna yell at this boy she barely knows the name of. Except—no, she's not. Because he doesn't deserve it, no matter how _full of himself _he may be.

Squeezing her eyes shut for several seconds, she almost fears the silence behind her, as she fights off tears.

Finally, Embry snorts. "Well fuck you too. I just tried to help you. It's my job—I didn't _ask for this shit._ No need to be such a bitch."

With a crack, she snaps around and steps forward, staring him dead in the eye and raising her hand before she can stop it.

It cracks against his cheek and she doesn't even wince as her fingers break _again. _They had just been healed a week or two before and were still sore.

She's too busy trying to stay standing. Gravity feels like it's moving; repositioning itself and throwing itself off axis. Her feet feel like they're slipping; her head feels heavy and her heart feels like it's about to crash. Her nerves tingle, her blood sings, and even her chakra sizzles in—in what? Excitement? She doesn't know what's going on, but she likes it. Or maybe she doesn't. She doesn't know anything anymore.

And then a second passes and the feeling is gone.

Embry is staring at her with wide, dark eyes (they're like chocolate, she can't help but think in the back of her mind), mouth parted slightly. His cheek doesn't look hurt at all, and though she knows that if she put even a little bit of her actual power into it, he'd be halfway across the beach, she's glad that she didn't hurt him. She's glad that he's okay.

He steps back suddenly, tripping over his own feet. His butt hits the ground, but he's still staring at her. The pure emotion in his eyes scares her. She knows that she's seen a look like that before—not directed at her, of course—but she can't quite place it.

Finally, his eyes snap to her hand, two fingers bent at an odd angle.

"_Oh._ Oh my god, are you okay? I'm—oh shit, I'm so sorry." He reaches out to touch her hand—to cradle it in his large palms and she's too shocked to pull away. "You're so small," He whispers, almost too low for her to hear.

"I... I d-don't have a car, but I'll take you to the hospital, okay? I'll just borrow Sam's. Or... I, I could carry you. But you probably won't be comfortable with that. Oh god..." His eyes slide to hers again, causing her insides to melt (what? _Whatwhatwhat _is going on?). His orbs are filled with panic now, but they still the same emotion as before.

She purses her lips and gently slides her hand from his. Rejection fills his eyes, but she ignores it. He looks as if he wants to hold on, but he doesn't. He doesn't want to hurt her—not anymore, at least.

"Um... th-there," She clears her throat. "There's n-no need for that, Em-Embry." She swallows through a dry throat. "I'll be fine on my own. I... I'll g-go now and then... uh... I'll... go to school. Right." He stares at her from his position on the ground—and only then does she realize just how much of a giant he is. He's almost eye-level with her with his butt on the ground and her still standing up.

"No. I mean, if that's what you want—but I want to make sure you're alright." He tells her firmly, with a dash of worry thrown in. She closes her eyes. "I pr-promise I'll be fine." But he shakes his head. "_Please, _I need to see for myself." The desperation in his voice makes her pause. With a sigh, she hesitantly nods her head.

"Is Forks hospital alright?"

Embry stiffens, but nods his head vigorously.

He finally stands, suddenly placing a hand on her lower back and underneath her knees. With a gentle squeal leaving her lips as he picks her up, she feels the air leave her lungs.

For some reason—some strange, weird, completely unnatural, completely _illogical _reason—she feels safe in his arms. And that makes her uncomfortable.

"I-I can a-a-ask Leah t-to drive u-us."

She figures that Embry feels guilty. He provoked her, she hit him, she broke her fingers on his cheek. It's only natural for him to want to make sure she's safe since it's 'his fault' (even though she doesn't blame him), she tells herself. She tells herself it's okay.

"Alright."

"B-but I can walk on my own." She attempts to say firmly. The stutter sort of ruins it though.

"... Alright."

She tries to ignore the way he stares at her and the way his body heat (he's way warmer than anyone else she's every touched; warmer than Kiba, or Seth or—well, they're the only above-average temperature people that she can think of—but he's warmer than anyone) rolls off of him, reaching out to her. She tries to ignore the low whine that leaves his lips when she winces at the feel of her fingers being pressed too roughly to her chest.

She tries to ignore _him. _But she can't. And that really, really scares her.

–

Leah opens the door after several loud knocks, a scowl in place and eyes dark. She freezes at the sight of Hinata and Embry, wondering what hell is going on.

"What the _hell _is going on?" She voices, raising her eyebrows.

She notices the way Hinata is cradling her hand to her chest, and almost flinches at the sight of her distorted fingers. She doesn't like the way that stupid boy (he hangs out with Sam. He's automatically a terrible fucking person in her book) is looking at her younger friend.

"We... ah... m-may we please get a ride to the hospital?"

With a tense nod and pursed lips, Leah hisses, "Of course. But I better get the whole fuckin' story on the way."

Hinata tries to ignore the way Embry shakes. The way he trembles at Leah's harsh tone.

She doubts that he's cold—so what is it then?

–


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N: **Thanks for all the support on the last chapter. (: I'm glad people liked it. I forgot to answer before, but here are the ages for now;

Hinata: 15

Seth: 16

Embry/Jake/Quil: 17

Bella/Paul: 18

Leah/Sam/Emily: 19

* * *

Embry Call is not stupid.

If you were to ask his teachers, or even his own fucking _mother, _they would probably tell you differently. But he isn't stupid.

He knows math and English and all that other crap—he just doesn't think there's much point in trying hard in high school when he's not even going to college. His family (his _mom)_ didn't have the funds months ago, and even if they did now, Embry can't leave the Rez if he _wants _to. He's bound here forever.

He's bound here because he's a goddamn werewolf. Yeah, he thought they were fake too. The legends are real—woo fucking hoo. He lost his two best friends and now he finds out that one of them might be his _brother _too. He's always been a bastard child, and now he's the bastard child of someone with the wolf gene. There are only a few people _that_ could be...

And two of them are the fathers of his best friends—the other is the father of Sam Uley. No one says it, but they all hope it's Joshua Uley. He already has the reputation of an asshole. The other two were happily married at the time of Embry's conception and birth.

He is the fourth wolf to phase and the fastest to calm down and phase back. Sam had no one to guide him, so it took _days _for him to get a level head. Jared took almost a day. Paul took almost a _week. _He's hot-headed as shit, so it took a while for him to calm down.

It took Embry seven hours. He's proud of himself, even though it's not much to be proud _of._

Even though he was panicked and afraid and thought he was going crazy, he didn't want to be stuck as a wolf forever. So he took deep breaths and tried to stop his mental tears (yeah, he cried. Paul made fun of him for it, but what can you do?), and finally he managed to find himself curled up, naked, in the fetal position, in the middle of the forest floor.

He doesn't go home for a week. His mother doesn't go crazy with worry; she merely takes the counsel's word that he's alright. When he finally slips through his bedroom window in the dead of night, he collapses into the familiar scent of his bed, rubbing his sensitive nose into his pillow. She hadn't washed the sheets. He'll have to in the morning, he figures. He's covered in dirt and sweat and by the time he wakes up, the bed will surely be dirty too.

His mother—Tiffany—doesn't tell him good morning. She doesn't set down any coffee or cereal or eggs. She ignores him like she always does. He isn't allowed to tell her about the wolf thing. She isn't a true Quileute, they say. She came there when she was pregnant with Embry, 17 and alone. They took pity on her, but that doesn't mean that they're going to tell her something like _this._

Embry runs a hand through his hair. It used to reach his shoulders, but he had to cut it. It's short—too short for his liking.

"You're going back to school, aren't you?" The sound of his mother's voice almost makes him flinch; it's hardened from years of smoking and whatever the hell she used to do in her youth. He had never heard it so... _well_ before. The roughness hurts his ears.

With tight lips, he shrugs. "I guess so." Tiffany snorts. "You're going." She says with finality. His wolf twists awake from its slumber, coming to life at her tone.

Attempting to stop his shaking, Embry grasps the kitchen counter, narrowing his eyes as a crack appears in the tile. His mother doesn't even notice.

Not wanting to have this conversation with her—not wanting to lose control and hurt her like he _knows _he's able to—he merely nods jerkily. "Of course, mom."

Tiffany turns back around and doesn't move until Embry is out of the front door.

–

Every day after he returns to school, people look at him. All of them with shock at first, but then the shock turns to lust from the girls and aggression from the boys.

Every day after he returns to school, Jacob and Quil are there, trying to get him to talk to them; trying to get him to open up and tell them what the fuck is going on; what the fuck he's doing with _Sam Uley. _They all used to hate him. They hate Embry too. If they don't now, they will soon.

He can't tell them either. It's not time, Sam says. Embry has no choice but to listen, even as his heart breaks in his chest.

They're the only two friends he's ever known—

they've been together since they were toddlers, and Embry doesn't want to leave them, but he—he has no choice. At all. He's an animal and Sam Uley holds his fucking leash. Sam is his Alpha and he has to obey.

–

He smells it sometimes. He doesn't know what it is or _who _it is, but it's delicious. It's like... a mixture of cinnamon and earth and chocolate cake. It's like everything good rolled into one thing, and he really... really likes it. Sometimes, though, something else twists itself into the scent—something disgusting. The only thing he can think of is... is the smell of _sex_ and too much cologne.

And he really... really hates it.

The scent is probably the only thing that manages to get him through the school day without exploding into a wolf at the judgmental looks and lustful stares.

–

Emily is really great, Embry can't help but think. Her cooking is great and she's beautiful, even with the bright right scars covering half of her face.

She tells them stories as they all devour her cooking—stories of her and Sam (even though the rest of the wolves had all seen them a hundred times in Sam's head), stories of old friends, of new recipes. She talks a lot of some girl named Hinata.

"She's really such a sweetheart," Emily sighs. "She's dating my cousin—little Seth. Or, well, maybe not so little anymore." She giggles. "You guys might want to watch out for if he starts phasing!"

Sam would merely smile gently and press a tender kiss to his imprint's temple.

_Imprint._

Embry isn't sure whether he wants one or not—part of him does. Part of him wants to feel the way Sam does about a girl. He wants to have someone to love and cherish and be loved in return. He wants someone to come home to and to wrap his arms around. He wants a girl to feel _something _for him.

But the other part of him... the other part doesn't want anything to do with imprints. He has enough unnatural, illogical, '_magical' _shit going on in his life now. He doesn't need to have some... strange bond to a random girl. He doesn't need a _'mate'. _He doesn't want to feel so strongly for someone; to feel so strongly he's willing to die for them.

He's only 17. He doesn't want to have such a powerful commitment.

In the back of his mind, though, a voice tells him that he can't do it-love someone. He has no experience being loved, so how can he ever offer it?_  
_

–

Bella Swan. She's alright, he supposes. Jake has a huge crush on her—has for almost 10 years now.

She was dating a vampire, but his family left. Broke her heart. She ran into the woods, tripped, got lost, and he and the wolves had to help her out.

She hangs out a lot with Jacob now. Embry isn't sure how to feel about it. She seems nice. Just not... _stable, _if you know what he means.

When a red-headed leech starts to come closer and closer to La Push, Sam puts all of them on longer patrols. Embry and Jared go to school; Sam and Paul don't. Paul says he doesn't care, and Sam dropped out the moment he became a wolf.

Most of the time, though, Embry skips. Jared almost never does, since he imprinted on Kim—some weird, sheltered girl that's had a crush on Jared for years, apparently. She and Emily get along well, but Embry can tell that Emily wants a relationship like that with someone closer to her own age. Kim's only 15.

He only goes to class when he feels like he's about to explode—just so he can smell the scent that keeps him grounded.

–

They're supposed to protect the tribe—that's been their _thing _since the beginning. They're 'warriors'.

Sam has been stricter since the leech got closer. He wants the pack to really step it up and make sure that stupid parasite doesn't get anywhere near La Push—again.

It's about 9 in the morning. Usually at this time, everyone is either at home or school or work—including Embry. He's... working. Patrolling.

When he sees a girl on First Beach, his first reaction is to sigh. He has to warn her to go back inside. He has to make sure she's 'safe'. He has to take care of everyone in La Push, including the people he doesn't really care about. Not that he doesn't care about this girl—he just doesn't know her.

He steps closer, smirking lightly when he hears her talking to herself.

"It's cold."

And even though he stopped feeling the cold months ago, he smiles and says: "Yeah, I guess it is."

She swirls around, long dark hair flowing in the wind. She doesn't meet his eyes, but Embry can vaguely remember her as the girl who knocked on his door and offered to tutor him a while ago. She said that his mother called the school, but Emily later said that it was her. It was before he had phased, and Emily was already looking out for him. "We saw the signs, so I thought I would help you out." It felt good to finally be taken care of by a—a mother figure?

Raising an amused eyebrow, Embry asks, "Why aren't you in school?" Her back is to him again, so he can't see her face, but he _does _hear the way her teeth grind. "W-why aren't _you?" _She stutters. He can't help but think it's sort of cute.

He lets out a laugh. "Work." It's pretty much the truth after all.

She doesn't say anything, and he sighs. "You shouldn't be alone. It isn't safe." A laugh leaves her lips.

"Safe? You don't know _crap _about being safe, Embry." And though his wolf stirs and shackles rise, he can't stop himself from shivering at the way she says his name.

"You're just some stupid boy who thinks he's stronger than every girl." She takes a deep breath and clenches her fists tight. "You think you're a man, but you're not. You want to be a hero? Go help people who _need_ it. Not me. I won't _ever_ need your help."

He stares at the back of her head, clenching his jaw so tight it begins to feel sore. His shoulders tremble and though the wolf seems about as calm as it _can _be in this sort of situation, Embry can't stop himself from saying;

"Well fuck you too. I just tried to help you—I didn't _ask for this shit," _and he didn't. "No need to be such a bitch."

As the wind shifts, so does her body. He's so taken off-guard by her scent (chocolate cake and cinnamon and earth and everything good), that he barely notices her hand rising. Her eyes snap to his and his entire world stops.

Suddenly, he forgets everything—his mother, the father he never met, the pack he has begun to see as his family, the friends he was forced to leave behind, the 12 years of schooling he's gone through. He forgets everything and can focus on nothing but _her._

Big grey-blue eyes, pale skin, button nose, long black hair, dark brown turtleneck, slimming jeans, furry boots, and—and everything he didn't notice the first time he saw her. She's got three tiny freckles below her left eye and her lips are plump—but not overly so. She's got an amazing (ohgodohgod, what an understatement) figure, and she looks like an angel.

Her palm slaps roughly against his cheek, but his wolf doesn't even growl—it merely shivers at the feel of her skin against his.

Finally, he stumbles back, startled and almost embarrassed as he lands on his ass.

He's almost eye-level with her, he realizes, before his gaze snaps to her hand.

He feels sick.

"_Oh." _Words tumble out, but he's barely even paying attention. He's too focused on the fact that he _hurt his imprint. _Her fingers are distorted and her skin is bruised and she's so, so tiny. He reaches forward and holds her broken hand in the palm of both of his. He feels tears threatening to come up, but he pushes them down with as much force as he can muster.

He needs to take her to a hospital. He has to. Oh god.

When she gently pulls her hand back, he can't stop rejection from filling his face. He doesn't blame her though—she doesn't know him. She doesn't know that he's hers.

But the wolf is devastated. It squirms and howls and rages against its cage at the loss of her skin against his.

She wants to go to Forks Hospital. One of those fucking leeches used to work there, but hadn't for awhile—he can still smell them at times, though, and the very thought of going anywhere near there is enough to make him go stiff.

But she needs help, and it's the closest place, so he nods.

She feels like heaven pressed against his chest, but he knows that he's making her uncomfortable—so he lets her down when she asks.

She wants to borrow Leah's car. The name rings a bell, and he _knows_ he knows it, but he can't remember right now. Everything is a blur besides the angel at his side. He wants to hold her; comfort her, even though she's not showing her pain—besides that wince that made him hurt too.

He can't help but notice her shoulders trembling, so he steps a little closer, allowing his body heat to reach out and touch her. He hates the thought of her being in any sort of discomfort; especially if he can do something about it.

When they get to Leah's house (it _is _her house, right?), he can hear the heartbeat and smell the tears of someone.

He knocks on the door, practically beating the thing down in a hurry to get his imprint to the hospital. They could already be there if he just carried her—but he doesn't want to scare her, and _this is what she wants, _so he'll have to deal with it.

The girl, Leah, snaps the front door open, sneering. Her eyes are a bit puffy, but besides that, there's no sign of her crying.

He can still barely process words—his mind is still a jumble; he's still focused entirely on his imprint (_who he doesn't know the name of. Fuck.)—_but he _does_ hear the tone of Leah's voice—and his wolf doesn't like the way she speaks to their mate.

Embry tries to hold his growl in, but he can't help it. His shoulders shake and his figure trembles. Leah's head snaps to look at him, and to his relief, she flinches back slightly. It's enough to appease the wolf _for now. _His imprint looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed.

Only when they're in the car and Leah says his imprint's name—_Hinatahinatahinatahinatahinata, _Embry repeats in his mind a thousand times—does he remember who she is.

She's the genius who skipped a few grades; the one people make fun of.

She's the one who is set to graduate in just a few months. She probably already has a thousand places to go for school, he can't help but think with dismay.

She's the one dating Emily's cousin and Leah's younger brother. His wolf howls and it chills him to the bone. She's dating some stupid little boy (even though he's only younger than Embry by a year, the shape-shifter can't help but feel years older than he truly is), and from one of the old scents in the car _cheap cologne and the something else that makes his skin crawl), _he realizes that Seth is what he smelled along with her scent a few times.

Embry shakes. He closes his eyes and tries not to lose control—not with her, _Hinata, _in the car. He doesn't want to hurt her like Sam did to Emily. He doesn't want to hurt her _again._

Only when he feels her confused gaze on him, does he snap his eyes to hers. Something on his face must have scared her (_ohgod), _because she flinches back. His wolf howls louder and the shaking intensifies. He ignores Leah's annoying voice in the front of the car.

Hinata is sitting next to him in the back, and though she hesitates, Embry's heart completely warms when she reaches over to run her fingertips across his bicep.

"I-it's okay," She whispers. "A-are you cold?" He can tell she knows he's not, but he shakes his head anyways. "I'm... I'm fine." He mutters, leaning over slightly to catch a deeper whiff of her pleasant scent. It drowns out the smell of _ him (cheap cologne and _fuckfuckfuck), and his wolf calms down.

Despite her protests, he carries her into the hospital. He argues until he loses his breath. "_She needs to see someone __**now. **__She's hurt!" _And when a doctor comes out (not a Cullen. Even though Embry knows they aren't in Forks anymore, he can't stop himself from relaxing) to take her into a back room, Embry goes with her—or, at least, he tries to.

Leah grabs his arm.

"Look, I don't know what the fuck you want with Hinata. Your dumb ass didn't say _shit _in the car. But she's dating Seth. She's _happy _with him. She doesn't need some stupid, horny, steroid-taking _asshole _to come and try to get in her pants."

Embry growls low, warning Leah to back off. Even though her eyes mutely flash in panic, her grip doesn't loosen. He merely snorts and shakes her off.

"I'm... _I just want to make sure she's okay." _And it's true. Even though he doesn't _just_ want that, he _needs_ to see if his imprint (_his Hinata)_ is okay.

Leah narrows her eyes.

"Fine," She snaps. "But don't you dare try anything."

He merely jogs over to catch up with the doctor and _Hinata. _

–

_He knows what people think of them. They think that the Pack is just a gang run by Sam Uley—the trouble-making son of a bastard. People think that they take steroids and beat up little old ladies on Sunday nights. But people don't know shit. Embry hopes that Hinata doesn't think that about them. He hopes that she doesn't think he's just some stupid delinquent._

–


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: **I hope you enjoy. (:

* * *

The doctor is young; maybe in his mid-twenties. He's blonde and tanned and looks a bit like Naruto—he's attractive, but Hinata can only think about the boy who Leah just stopped in the hall. She figures that she has at least a minute or two before he comes to meet up with them again.

"Did... did that man do that to you, miss?" Her eyes snap to the doctor, eyebrows furrowed. He clears his throat. "Did he break your fingers?" Hinata blinks, her gaze sliding back down to her hand. Honestly, she could have healed the thing herself (not very well, mind you, but... yeah.), but she wanted to get Embry off of her back (in the back of her mind, though, she knows that she doesn't mind that he's here.).

She smiles softly. "I... I suppose you c-could say that. I broke my hand when, ah... w-well, it's a bit embarrassing." She knows that if she just said _no, _that the doctor wouldn't believe her—he would think that Embry is abusive and violent, and most likely tell someone. She doesn't want that to happen.

"I broke my f-fingers when I slapped him." She giggles gently; fake and forced. The doctor is obviously relieved however, so she doesn't mind it.

"That's," He chuckles. "That's quite... hm." He trails off and Hinata doesn't bother trying to revive the conversation.

He leads her into a small room and ushers for her to sit down. "I'll be right back." He says with a smile—she still doesn't know his name, Hinata muses. Isn't it customary for doctors to give their name? Not that it matters.

The doctor moves to step out of the room, only to run right into Embry—who's still shirtless, Hinata finally realizes with tingles of (_excitement) _amusement going through her.

"Excuse me." The older man says, sliding past.

Embry doesn't spare him a glance, moving to stand directly next to Hinata.

"Does it hurt?" He whispers, eyebrows furrowed. He's about a foot and a half taller than her as she's sitting down.

She shrugs. "I've had worse." And she _has. _Even in this lifetime.

Embry tenses. "What? You've broken other... other bones? How badly have you been hurt before?" Hinata glances up at him through her lashes. Biting her bottom lip, she tries to tell herself that he's just trying to make conversation; he's just curious.

"Ah, well..." She purses her lips, wondering what's safe to tell him. Finally, she shrugs.

"I've broken b-both legs at least twice, broken my right arm once, my left n-never. I've broken my nose twice and have had a few minor con-concussions." All of it's true, too. Sometimes her training gets a little out of hand... she gets a little frustrated or angry or s-sad, and she loses control of the amount of chakra she's pushing through her limbs. The result is... well, it's usually not pretty. Putting too much chakra—or even not enough—in her feet as she's climbing a tree has proven to be disastrous. She's fallen and slammed her head into the ground a time or two—or, maybe a few dozen times.

She glances to Embry, only to see his face pulled into a horrified grimace. She blinks, reaching out to touch him before she can stop herself. As soon as her (unbroken) fingertips touch his arm, his eyes snap to hers and a smirk pulls at his lips.

"I... I've only ever broken my leg. I played soccer with Ja-Jake and Quil when I was younger..." He snorts. "All we did was kick around a ball and try not to let the other kick it too far, though. Not sure if you can call that soccer."

She distantly recalls the faces of his friends in the back of her mind, wondering why he sounds so... _bitter_ as he speaks of them. She figures they aren't friends anymore. For some reason, that makes her gut clench.

"I guess I kicked the ball too hard, or not hard enough... truthfully, I don't even really remember." He smiles and it practically lights up his face. It makes her heart warm.

"When I broke my leg, Quil's dad had to carry me to his car and drove us to a hospital in Port Angeles. He had something against this, _Forks, _hospital, and though I didn't understand it then—" He cuts himself off, shrugging.

Embry buries his hands in his pockets.

"I definitely haven't... been hurt as much as you." He frowns, eyebrows furrowing and fists clenching into loose balls. "How did all of that _happen, _anyways?" Hinata licks her lips, trying to ignore the way his eyes snap to look at her mouth.

"W-would you believe me if I t-told you I'm interested in p-parkour?" She smiles. She figures it's the closest thing to what she's doing—running, jumping, flipping, climbing to the tops of the tallest trees with chakra and then making herself climb down manually.

Embry's eyes widen, the gaudy light of the hospital making the chocolate-color stand out even more.

"Uh... parkour, huh? I used to want to be able to do that stuff. Quil, Jake and I all tried to." He laughs. "It didn't go very well, though. Quil broke his left big toe." Embry giggles like a school girl and Hinata can't help but find herself joining him.

She only stops at the sound of the door opening. Embry instantly stiffens and stands up a little straighter.

"All you have to do is sign a few papers, allow me to put on the cast, and you'll be out of here in a few." The doctor—_Dr. Nameless—_says, smiling. She can tell he still doesn't trust Embry, but doesn't see why it matters. As far as she can tell, Embry is a nice guy. A little rough around the edges, but... really, who isn't?

–

The cast they put on is a soft lavender. Embry says it's pretty and asks her if he can sign it. Even though he's joking, Hinata smiles and nods.

His eyes light up. "Do you have a sharpie, by chance?" She laughs. "I know S-Seth has a few at his house." She tilts her head. "He should be h-home a-around now."

Embry stiffens, but nods his head jerkily. "Alright. Um... do you.. want me to ride back with you?" Hinata blinks up at him. "O-of course. Unless you h-have another ride... o-or if you don't want to!" She hastily adds.

He smiles and nods. "I want to."

Leah gives him dirty looks as they drive back down to La Push, but Hinata doesn't seem to notice. She's staring down at her cast, wondering how Seth will react. Will he freak out like Embry did? Will he be worried and ask that happened and how he can try to fix it? Will he kiss her and try to make it better?

Part of her wants him to do something like that. She wants him to hold her and tell her that's it's alright—even though she's not scared or hurt or panicked about a thing.

They drive back to the Clearwater home in under 20 minutes. Soft rock plays from the radio, and though it isn't very loud, it's almost like it's blaring with Embry's sensitive hearing.

Seth is just walking through the front door when his sister pulls up. He blinks, looking back. His heart leaps at the sight of Hinata getting out of the car, before his eyes narrow in on the cast covering her hand. He drops his book bag and practically runs to her, holding her cheeks with the palms of his hands. Some stupid, soft, barely noticeable voice in the back of her head whispers: _his palms aren't as warm as Embry's. They don't feel as good, do they?_

But she ignores it to the best of her ability.

"Are you okay?" He whispers, pressing his nose to hers. She stares into his orbs, mouthing the word 'yes'. As he leans forward to press a kiss to her parted lips, her eyes subtly move to look at Embry—who's staring at her with a devastated face. His eyebrows are furrowed, his lips tight and his eyes wild.

And for some reason, Hinata feels like her heart is about to beat itself out of her chest—not in the good way. Not in the way Seth usually makes her feel.

She doesn't deny the kiss, though. She doesn't want to hurt her boyfriend's feelings. He means more to her than some boy she barely met. She doesn't care that Embry is hurt. She doesn't care at all.

She'll repeat it until she believes it.

No matter how hard she tries, though, she can't pull her gaze from Embry. He stares back at her with his chocolate eyes, mouth contorted into a pained grimace. She ignores the throbbing in her chest, willing herself to tear her eyes from his. He's shaking hard, but his gaze doesn't waver. After what seems to be hours, but she knows is only seconds, Embry, forces a smile, raises his right hand (_trembling, _she notes)... and he waves.

Then he turns on his heel and leaves, shoulders still shivering.

Only when she notices that Seth is looking at her with narrowed eyes, does she blink and look at him. He's biting his bottom lip—something he only does when he's confused or surprised, or probably both in this case. He searches her eyes for something, before he sighs and smiles, pressing another sweet kiss to her lips.

Leah clears her throat, and Hinata almost jumps. _Almost._

Turning to look at the older girl, Hinata smiles. "Th-thank you for driving us, Leah." Leah merely shrugs, beginning to make her way to the front door. She pauses.

"I don't like that Embry guy." She states, eyes locked on the door. "His eyes look like Sam's—and he's... he looks at you like Sam looks at Emily. I don't trust him." She opens the door and steps through before either of them can say anything.

Seth purses his lips, beginning to usher her into the house. It's cold and he doesn't want her to catch something. "What happened?"

She doesn't beat around the bush. "I slapped him and broke my fingers." He sucks in an audible breath, snapping his head to look at her. "_What? _Did he _do_ something to you?" He sounds desperate. He's so worried he feels sick.

Hinata presses a chaste kiss to his cheek. "I... I was just in a bad mood, and Em-_Embry_ was in the wrong place at the wrong time." She smiles, eyes shining up at him. And though Seth doesn't like the way she says the older boy's name, he can't stop his grin—because she looks so happy. She looks happy as she looks at _him, _and he knows that he can trust her with everything he has.

"If... if he ever does something to you... tell me. I'll... I don't know what I'll do, but I won't let him get away with it. Okay?" His eyes plead with her, but she merely nods. "Of course." She knows that Seth doesn't like violence, so she feels warmth spread through her at his declaration to protect her honor. Then again, he may just write a long, heavily-worded letter to Embry's mother.

She almost snorts at the thought, but covers it as a laugh.

"Do you wanna w-watch a movie?" She mutters as they pass through the living room. Leah slips past them, wearing a different outfit than before. "Don't get _too _comfortable, munchkins." She leers playfully, gently nudging Seth's shoulder with her own. As the siblings share a chuckle, Hinata merely smiles. Once his big sister leaves, Seth wraps his arms around Hinata and pulls her down on the couch.

As they settle down and turn on some silly, _romantic comedy, _and Seth presses open-mouthed kisses to the side of her neck—

Hinata feels uncomfortable.

Not bad necessarily, just... different. She doesn't feel the same as usual. She doesn't have the same butterflies she did last week when the same events took place. She still feels excitement. She's... aroused. And she almost feels bad about it, which makes no sense. She's technically a grown woman. She's never felt bad about doing stuff like this before. Then again, she's only ever done it with Seth. Which makes the feeling ever weirder—because this _is_ Seth.

His fingertips graze her stomach, causing chill bumps to erupt on her flesh. He breathes her neck, tickling her neck. As his hand slips upward, slowly inching its way up past her tight turtleneck, he whispers, "Can't we take this off?"

She shivers, nodding before she can stop herself. She forgets about the scar on her bicep; forgets that she's supposed to be _hiding it. _She can only focus on the warmth in her stomach and trying to get rid of the heaviness in her chest.

He tugs off the shirt (being extra careful with the cast), and the thought that his parents could be home at any minute is almost exciting. She's been in a lot of dangerous situations before—life and death. But this? This isn't nearly as stressful. But it still fuels the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

He nips at the exposed flesh of her collarbone, tongue running over the scar there. "Where'd you get this?" He whispers, not noticing the larger, darker scar merely a few inches away. Hinata squirms as his breath tickles her.

"N-nothing. Just something s-silly." His eyes move up to search hers; his gaze dark and intense. Finally, he moves away. At first, she feels the sting of rejection (and for some odd, _illogical _reason, she feels... relief). As soon as he ushers for her to crawl to his lap, she does. He smiles at her, leaning to kiss and nip at her throat.

He reaches behind her, slowly unhooking the bra keeping her top-half from being exposed. The air hits her nipples, causing her to shiver once more.

And then she hears it—

a howl, long and mournful.

It's the middle of the day.

Wolves normally don't howl until it gets late into the evening. It's not natural here, but it seems Hinata is the only one who notices—or cares.

She instantly tenses, suddenly feeling a million different emotions hitting her at once.

She wants to continue this. She wants Seth to touch her; she wants to feel _good. _But she wants the painful feeling in her chest to go away. It's like guilt mixed into desire, and it's... it's not _good._ She has no _reason _to be guilty, though. She hasn't done anything wrong.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Hinata moves to stop Seth. "Maybe... we could do this s-some other t-t-time?" His eyes show her his hesitation and shock (and rejection), but once she smiles at him, he slowly returns it.

"Of—" He clears his throat. "Of course."

Hinata presses a chaste kiss to his lips, pulling on the articles of clothing that she just took off.

As she and Seth sit in an awkward silence, she can't help but wonder just _what's _going on with her today.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: **Oh my. Been awhile. Sorry about that. xD I've been running out of inspiration for this, and with school back in session, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. I've got the next few chapters planned out, though, so I'll try to write them soon. Please enjoy. (':

* * *

Another Monday morning.

Hinata hums a gentle tune under her breath, slowly making her way to locker _707\. _

July 7th. Kiba's birthday.

Hinata smiles as she steps in front of it, rubbing the tip of her thumb over the numbers. She wonders how he's doing—if he and Akamaru are still raising hell. If he settled down with anyone. If he's in ANBU yet. If he's a jounin-sensei. Is he even still alive? Does he have kids? Does Akamaru have pups?

She wishes that she could have been able to meet them.

Part of her is grateful for having to be reminded of Kiba everyday. He (and everyone else that she was forced to leave behind in Konoha) is part of her, even if she hasn't seen them in years. She's glad she is able to still picture them clearly in her mind—with Kiba's mischievous, cocky eyes; Akamaru's coarse fur; Naruto's trademark smile; Shino's irreplaceable wisdom.

She misses them, but at the very least... she knows that she will never forget them.

As she turns around, her breath catches in her throat.

Embry is looking at her.

His back is pressed against one of the lockers, with his arms crossed. His chocolate orbs are intense and unreadable. And, for some reason, that doesn't make her uncomfortable. She feels... content.

She offers him a smile, which is returned almost immediately. With a soft feeling in her chest, she approaches him. She considers them friends now—maybe not... best buddies, but she likes him. He's sweet. She broke her fingers on his cheek at least 3 weeks ago, and their relationship was a bit rocky in the beginning, but now it seems to be... _okay._

Her cast came off 'remarkably' fast according to the doctors, but Hinata's just glad it's gone.

"Good morning," Embry whispers, voice quiet but she has no trouble hearing him in the loud hallway.

"Morning," She says simply, repositioning the books in her arms. She only likes to go to her locker before school, before lunch, and after school. The books get a little annoying at times, but of course they're never too heavy.

Embry's gaze snaps down. "Let me carry those for you," He says, grinning. Hinata wants to say no and that she can do it herself—but she doesn't. Because, for some reason, Embry looks so happy. And she doesn't want to hurt his feelings.

So she says, "Okay." And that's that.

He walks her to her next class, small talk passing between them. He tells her of how his friend Paul got mad at a little girl the other day for taking the last muffin.

"That's horrible!" Hinata laughs, turning to him as they approach her first period. He smirks gently, carefully placing the books back into her arms. "See ya at lunch."

Seth wasn't very happy the first time Embry decided to sit with them at lunch—but Hinata didn't want to turn him away, and he really _is _a nice guy once you get used to him. She knows that Seth doesn't like her being friends with someone associated with Sam Uley, but... for some reason, she just doesn't care. She loves Seth, yes, but Embry doesn't deserve to be denied friendship.

So she smiles and says, "See ya."

The first 3 periods go by quick enough, and before she knows it, she's standing in line for a lunch she won't even eat.

Mystery meat—check.

Mushy green beans—check.

Hard mashed potatoes—oh yummy! Check.

Pursing her lips, she heads over to their usual table, only to see Seth already there. She smiles, sneaking up on him to press a quick kiss to the side of his neck.

"Oh go—!" He splutters as Hinata chuckles. "Nice to see you too, _pumpkin._" Seth smirks, pulling her down for a peck.

"Nice choice we've got today, huh?" He murmurs, staring down at their trays. Hinata shrugs, pushing hers over to him. Every day was pretty much the same. Instead of having steamed carrots one day, though, they might have green beans or... well, she's not quite sure if it's zucchini or broccoli. Yes, it's that frightening.

Embry joins them after a few moments, five trays in his arms. Even though she's seen it for the past week, she still can't believe the boy can eat so much. Another thing he has in common with Sam, she can't help but note. They both eat like they've never seen food before.

With his mouth full of... something, he finally swallows and asks, "Why aren't you eating anything again, Hinata?" She pauses, before smiling. "I d-don't really want to get s-sick later." He looks confused, so she elaborates. "This stuff is gr-gross, Embry!" She laughs at the raise of his eyebrows.

"'Haven't noticed," He shrugs. Seth purses his lips, looking as if he wants to say something. Instead, he turns to his girlfriend.

"We're still on for this weekend, right?" From the corner of her eye, Hinata sees Embry freeze.

"Of course." She tells him simply, smiling as he presses another kiss to her cheek.

Embry watches them, forcing down his mouthful of... god, he doesn't even know what this crap is either. And he doesn't care. He's always hungry and he's pretty much immune to stomach viruses (or any other kind of virus)—but he's seeing what Hinata meant by 'feeling sick'. The sight of his imprint with another male is... painful. So, so painful. _Hearing her about to fuck him... _that was probably the most painful thing he's ever gone through—even worse than having his bones break and reform after the first time he phased.

At first, he wasn't entirely sure if he should even attempt a relationship with her. She seems happy with Seth. Happy and _safe. _Seth's a good kid, no matter how much Embry may hate him for having his imprint. _His_ Hinata. With Embry... he can protect her, but there's no way he can offer her what Seth can. A _future. _She's meant for something big. She's meant to become someone great (someone even greater than she is now, anyways), and Embry... he's forever stuck in La Push. He doesn't want that for her.

She deserves someone better than the bastard child of a werewolf and a life stuck _here. _She deserves fame and money and true _fucking_ love. Like she has with Seth.

He's been telling that himself every day for the past 3 weeks, but he can't stop himself from wanting to be around her. He wants to see her with his own eyes; hear her voice, her laugh. He wants to be able to touch her, even if it's just a brush of her fingertips and a squeeze of her hand on his shoulder.

Embry Call is in love with Hinata White, and he hasn't even known her a month.

He doesn't mind, though. He _can't_ mind. He doesn't want to.

So he forces down his jealousy and tells himself that everything will be fine.

Hinata is happy and that's all that matters.

It's all that will _ever_ matter.

* * *

Hinata dreams of wolves.

Or, no. She dreams of one wolf. He (don't ask her how she knows, but it's a he) has gray fur with black patches. And he's beautiful.

He yips and yaps and looks so happy when she sees him. She can't help but laugh along, as they run through a field of flowers. They run and run, and then the forest turns dense. Green is everywhere and she has no problem seeing him (_her wolf)_ until the forest goes dark.

His barks turn to whines and growls, growing louder and louder with each heartbeat. She calls out for him, asks him where he's gone. She feels heavy in her chest and as rain pours down from the sky, soaking her, she begins to cry.

Everything goes mute, and then Seth appears. He's beautiful, just like he's always been, but he looks... different. Stronger, bigger, faster, _older._

He mouths her name, beginning to step towards her.

And then her wolf comes back and so does the sound.

He growls at Seth in warning, standing between him and Hinata. She wants to say something; to tell him it's okay and that Seth is her friend.

But as soon as she opens her mouth, the wolf disappears—

and in his place is Embry Call.

–

She wakes up with a start, gasping.

Running a hand through her hair, she blows out a breath. "Some crazy dreams I've been having," She whispers to herself, staring up at the ceiling in silence.

Or maybe this one isn't so crazy.

Hinata has always been a believer in dreams—in not ignoring them. She always tries to remember them, hoping that maybe they'll have some sort of answer for the future.

She wasn't entirely sure before; she only had the barest of ideas. But now... she thinks she knows.

Embry Call, Sam Uley, and the rest of their little 'gang' might just be werewolves.

Or maybe she really is just crazy.

* * *

The next time Hinata sees Embry, she watches him. Does he sniff stuff a lot? God, she hopes that he doesn't pee to mark his territory. That's what dogs do, right?

But he looks like a normal boy. A large, tanned, tall... normal boy.

He grins like the sun when he sees her, waving and jogging over. His legs are long and it doesn't take much time at all.

"Hinata!" He smiles giddily. She can't stop herself from beaming back.

Even if he _is _a werewolf (a monster, some may say), he's still Embry Call.

And he's still a friend.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

He picks her up in Leah's car that evening, grinning from ear to ear.

"You look lovely." He whispers, pressing a chaste kiss behind her ear as she enters the car. She smiles, cheeks warming and stomach fluttering.

"S-so do you." He merely chuckles, brushing his fingers against her cheek before pulling out of her driveway and starting on the familiar road to Port Angeles.

His palm stays on his thigh the entire time, as they speak of anything and everything.

"You're graduating this May." It's not a question, but she still nods. "Going to a college in Seattle... right?" He sounds worried, causing her to smirk. "Why? Can't imagine b-being away from me so long?" Seth merely smiles and moves his hand to rest in hers. She closes her eyes, melting into his touch. Thankfully, he doesn't push the subject. She didn't actually answer him, after all.

They arrive at the restaurant at 6:30. It's a simple place; not too expensive, which is perfect considering Seth only works a few hours a week. Hinata doesn't mind, though... she loves their chicken fingers.

They talk about silly things—his sister's attempt at cooking lasagna (and then getting mad when Seth laughed), his father's recent fishing trip, his grades in Math (he's practically failing, which causes Hinata to splutter).

"I can always help you, y-you know." She mutters, blinking across from him with hopeful eyes. He shrugs. "Yeah, I know." Seth smiles. "Thanks."

Taking a sip of her lemonade, Hinata nods, suddenly feeling awkward.

She can tell the smile is forced. His eyes don't light up the way they usually do when he smiles.

She's never been ashamed of being labeled a "genius", but now she wonders if she should.

Seth has never give any indication of having a grudge against her for her scholastic achievements—but now... she wonders if he does. Maybe he doesn't like having grades lower than her, and is embarrassed to ask for help because he's older and doesn't want her to think of him as stupid—

or maybe she's just looking way into it. He's probably just tired.

When the food comes, Hinata wants to say something. Anything. The silence is thick and she wants to cut it—but she's not quite sure what to say. So she leaves it up to him.

Just as she's about to bite into her second chicken finger, she feels it.

Chakra.

As it flares up and down, her heart pounds.

_What?_

Her head snaps to the side, in the direction she feels it pulsing. Her palms sweat and her eyebrows furrow.

"Hinata?" Seth mutters her name, eyes wide. What's wrong with her?

"I... ah... s-sorry, Seth... but... I-I've got t-to go." She pushes away from the table, ignoring his cries for her to stop as she walks away. She feels bad—but she has to know _what this is. _Or, rather, _who_ this is. Are they friend, foe? Is it a stranger or perhaps someone she knows—or maybe it's just nothing at all and she's just imaging it. But she knows that she's not. Because she can never mistake the _feeling of chakra. _The Hyuuga were made to sense it, and as soon as she gets away from all of these people, she's going to tap into her bloodline limit and put it to good use. Finally.

Flaring your chakra is considered the Shinobi SOS. She hopes that whoever is calling out isn't in trouble. She's not sure her poor heart can handle so much shock in one day. Jeez, what if they're just trying to lure her out to some secluded place? It would be safer for the civilians, though, so if they _are_ trying to get her alone, at least she won't have to worry about endangering other people's lives.

As soon as she crosses the last street and dodges past the treeline, she adds raw power to her legs and takes off. Blurs of green and brown speed past her, but she pays them no mind—her Byakugan is focused on one thing only: the familiar, yet somehow distorted, chakra signature coming up fast.

She lands in a clearing, immediately dropping into a fighting stance; one that she has been practicing for years already, but with no real opponent. Is that about to change, though?

No, it's not, she realizes.

"_Neji?__" _

He turns to her, infamous smirk (oh god, she missed it so much) in place. "It's about time you showed up, Hinata-sama." She stares at him, eyes wide, as her stance droops.

And then she's running towards him, throwing herself into his arms and holding tightly. Tears run silently down her cheeks, as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. He smiles in her hair, pressing his nose deep.

"I... I m-missed you," She chokes out, slowly dentangling herself from him. He nods silently, muttering her name. "It's been a long time," He agrees, squeezing her middle one last time before letting go. They stare at each other for a few moments, as if drinking up each other's changed images.

Without her even noticing, they both slipped back into their native tongue.

"How—what... wh-what are you doing here?" She whispers, voice breaking. Neji smiles, grey eyes sparkling. "I was born in this world 16 years ago, Hinata-sama."

She lurches back.

"I w-was born 15 years ago," She says slowly. "and... as far as I know, you were a-alive when I... when I wasn't." Neji nods. "I died about... a year after you." She wants to ask how, but he tells her before she can. "I died protecting Naruto. We had another Shinobi War... I only did it because... because I knew that it would have been what _you _wanted, Hinata-sama. I guess it was... my way of making it up to you. I wasn't able to save you from P-Pein, so—"

Hinata cuts him off.

"Neji, it's not your fault. You've got to know that by now, right? I protected N-Naruto-kun because... because I l-loved him, but also because I knew his life was worth so much more than mine." Neji opens his mouth, but she doesn't give him a chance to speak. "You and I b-both know it's true. He was the future Hokage, the container of the Kyuubi, the... the savior of the Shinobi Nation... I hope."

He purses his lips, letting out a sigh.

"I hope so too."

They're silent for a few long moments.

"What have you been up to, Hinata-sama? Where are you staying?"

She smiles. "I live in La Push. It's an Indian Reservation about twenty minutes away from here... my m-mother is Japanese, my father Native American. Y-you know, it's kind of funny... they named me Hinata. My bi-birthday is December 27th, too—" Neji's eyes widen.

"My parents—business people who travel all over the place—they, uh... they named me Neji. A-and my birthday is—"

"July 3rd."

Neji nods tensely.

Hinata bites her bottom lip. "... that's... a really big coincidence." He shakes his head, as if scattering his thoughts.

"I honestly thought this was some giant genjutsu at first... but it's... too elaborate for that. I don't know of anyone who could create something so large; something so... _detailed." _

Hinata nods. "Perhaps with the Sharingan, but e-even then... there's only Sasuke and Itachi, y-yes? Or did they die as well?" Neji frowns.

"There was one more. Madara Uchiha, I think. Or perhaps it was Obito... I never really found out the truth of who was behind it all. I don't know if they died in the end or what. B-but they... they were strong; perhaps strong enough to do something like," He gestures around. "like this, but... I don't think so. I don't think anyone is capable of this."

Hinata runs a hand through her hair, unconsciously annoyed at the length. Almost down to her waist.

"Hinata-sama, what do you—"

He's cut off by the sound of Seth's voice.

"_Hinata!" _

She flinches, Neji frowns.

"Who is that?"

"My boyfriend." Neji's eyes snap to hers. "_Boyfriend? _My, my, Hinata-sama..." She blushes at the amused look in his eyes. Neji has definitely gotten a lot more carefree, she can't help but note. In their past lives, there was no way he'd _ever_ joke about her love life. Not that she had one back then.

"Y-you need to go," She mutters, eyes roaming in the direction of Seth's voice. "If he sees you... there would be too many questions."

Neji stares at her a moment. "La Push, right?" She nods absently. "I'll drive down there in a few hours. Is there somewhere we can meet?" Hinata bites her bottom lip. "Meet me at... First Beach. I'll find y-you." Neji nods one last time before leaving in a flash.

Hinata smiles. He's been training too.

At the sound of her name being called again, she shouts back.

"Over here, Seth!"

It takes him a few moments to find her, but when he does, he looks as if he'd been searching for hours.

"_What happened to you?" _He says—practically sobs, really_—_stomping up to her and wrapping his arms around her middle. Familiar warmth leaks into her as she returns the embrace.

"I-I'm sorry,"

He stares at her with wide, dark eyes. Only now can she see the panic.

"I thought—jeez, I don't know what I thought, but... God, Hinata, you can't _do that to me." _She licks her lips, slowly nodding.

"I'm sorry," She mutters again. His brow furrows as he shakes his head.

"It's... it's fine, I guess, but... what were you doing?"

She forces a smile, exhaustion suddenly flooding her form. "I got a little carried away. N-needed some fresh air, y-you know?" She frowns. "How did you even f-find me?"

Seth bites his bottom lip. "I don't know. It just felt like something was guiding me towards you... boyfriend's intuition, right?" She cracks a smile, pressing her forehead to his shoulder.

"C-can we just go back to La Push?"

Seth agrees.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**A/N**: Well, it's been awhile... sorry! I've had this halfway done for awhile, but school has been really hectic. Hopefully it's not completely horrible... thank you so much to the people who have reviewed! It makes my day. (: If you guys have any ideas on what you want to happen, blahblah, feel free to let me know. I've got a basic idea on how this is going to go, but it never hurts to have more input.

* * *

He kisses her gently before he leaves. It's slow and almost bittersweet, but when he whispers, "maybe our next date will be better," her heart warms once again. She smiles and nods, squeezing his hand before turning and going inside.

She offers a tiny wave to her parents sitting in the dining room. They don't grin like they usually do—but she doesn't even notice. She heads into her room, changing into loose cargo paints, heavy sandals and her trademark jacket (not that she actually wears it much anymore).

She ties her dark (too, too long) hair into a high ponytail and grins into the mirror.

For the first time in a long time... she's...

excited. She can feel her chakra practically singing; buzzing in anticipation.

She props open her bedroom window, easily jumping from the second story. She doesn't even bother waiting for her parents to go to sleep, not concerned in the least.

She takes her time through the dense woods, only tensing slightly at the howls of wolves in the distance.

She wonders, silently, if one of them is Embry Call.

She steps on to the tiny beach she's been to hundreds of times before. The sand sinks slightly underneath her feet, and she smiles.

"About time you showed up, Hinata-sama."

Hinata can't stop her grin, turning to her—can she still call him her cousin? He's still family, she supposes, even if it's not real to anyone else in this world.

"Sorry. B-but I'm here now."

"I'm glad."

And then they fight. They don't waste time with words—they speak with pent-up frustration and years of unreleased anger and denial. They don't use chakra, though; they don't want to destroy anything. They don't want to seriously hurt each other, either. They don't even activate their bloodline limit.

Neji kicks high, attempting to bring it down upon her head. She dodges at the last second, rolling through the sand and then jumping back up, launching a fist to his jaw. He hisses as it grazes his face.

They fight for what seems to be hours; until they're both sore and tired and sweaty. At the end, as they lay side by side in the sand, they both laugh. And then they cry.

"I missed you so much, Neji-nii." Hinata hiccups in their native tongue. She barely notices and doesn't care a bit.

Neji breathes out a deep, shuddered breath. "I missed you as well, Hinata-sama... you have no idea how much your death affected everyone. Hiashi-sama... your father, he... he shed tears, Hinata. That was the first time I ever saw him... show emotion." She cries even harder at this. "Hanabi-sama visited your grave a lot, too... brought flowers right from the Yamanaka Flower Shop." He smiles tiredly.

"Your teammates... they were crushed. Kiba—the mutt," Hinata closes her eyes. "he... did you know he loved you, Hinata-sama?" Her breath catches. "He cried a lot. Visited your grave and even kept your headband. I don't know why they allowed it, but... well, I guess it doesn't matter now. He fought hard in the war... helped Konoha more than he could even know." She clenches her fists, lucidly remembering Kiba's smiling face.

"Bug Boy—" Hinata nudges him. "_Shino... _I didn't see him cry, but... well, not like I can see much with the coat, anyways. I didn't know him very well, but... he seemed... melancholy. He went with Kiba to your grave many times." She attempts to ignore the ache in her chest. She knows that Shino must have been devastated. He never made friends easily, and... well, neither did she, to be honest. It's always hard losing a close friend, especially when you don't have many to begin with.

Almost afraid, Hinata manages to force his name past her lips, "What about N-Naruto?"

"You saved him, Hinata. If it weren't for you, who _knows _what could have happened? He defeated Pein, and... Pein said that he could bring everyone back—including you." She snaps her head in his direction, breath catching in her throat once again.

"But he couldn't. Everyone but you was brought back." She lets out something akin to a huff. How anti-climatic.

Neji smiles humorlessly, tears still prickling in his bright gray eyes—unlike her own. Unlike her blueblueblue. Their eyes were always different, though, even back then, her eyes were _lavender. _His were always gray. She used to associate his eyes to steel... to hardness and cold. But then she got to know him; then they truly began to saw each other as cousins.

"I had never felt so much desolation, Hinata-sama."

She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to stop more tears from overflowing. Pain errupts in her chest; squeezing and tightening her heart in its grip.

"Naruto... I think he can say the same. He cried a lot too—but then he sucked it up and did what he did best... save everyone. He was the hero... I can only hope he was enough."

"H-he surely had to have been enough." Hinata's voice cracks, but Neji doesn't flinch. He knows that she's mostly trying to reassure herself.

"Yes... surely."

They become quiet. The only sound to be heard is the crashing of waves and the dulled splatter of rain as it soaks into the sand.

"Do you h-have somewhere to stay tonight, Nii-san?" She asks after several minutes.

He makes a noise in the back of his throat. "I can manage."

"Y-you can always stay in my room—" Neji grins.

"I doubt your parents would like some 'strange boy' sleeping in your room, Hinata-sama." She rolls her eyes.

"It's n-not like I would _tell _them, Nii-san. Jeez,"

"Right, right..."

He slowly stands up, offering her his hand. She takes it without a second thought.

* * *

They sleep in the same bed, arms brushing each other. There's nothing sexual about it, of course—just mere familiarity. It's been a long, long time since either of them have felt truly... confident and content in someone else's presence; felt truly _free __and safe_, in a way.

The sounds of Neji's gentle breathing calms Hinata in a way she can not even begin to explain. He's her _cousin. _Her family; her ally; her comrade. And he's here, after being gone for so, so long. Or maybe she's the one who's been gone for a long time? Maybe both of them.

But he's here and she's happy to finally not be so alone.

Not that she feels alone with anyone she's met in this world—no, not at all... just... this is her _family. _Her _real _family. They've both been going through this alone up until now... but now, now they have each other and Hinata isn't about to let go again.

* * *

She wakes up to the sound of something hitting glass.

Her eyes snap open, gazing over to her still-sleeping cousin. She would have thought _he'd _be the first to wake up. Guess not.

Slowly, as to not wake him, Hinata lifts herself up and walks towards the window. She bites her bottom lip at the sight of Seth, hand raised back as if to throw something at the glass pane—another pebble, she assumes.

He grins at her and as if under a trance, she grins back. She doesn't notice Neji come up behind her. All she notices is the horrified—and then disgusted, then angry, then heartbroken—look on Seth's face. She tilts her head, silently asking him what's wrong.

"Looks like your boyfriend's getting the wrong idea."

She jumps, bumping her head on the glass. Neji attempts to stifle his chuckle, but doesn't succeed.

"N-Neji! Wha—" She turns back towards Seth, only to notice he's gone. She swears, causing Neji to laugh louder.

"Why would you do that?!" She practically snarls, hurt making its way into her chest. Neji sobers up, pausing.

"I honestly didn't notice him there, Hinata-sama. I merely saw you looking out the window and wanted to know what you were looking at. I thought, perhaps, there was a bird that you found particularly interesting." He shrugs and she can't find it in herself to be mad at him. Though his explanation is a bit... awkward, she knows that it's probably from years of being a Jounin... years of having to be stiff and impersonal and _exact— _She knows how hard it is to break a habit; even after all these years.

He didn't know. It's okay. He didn't mean it. Seth will understand once she explains—

but how will she explain? It's not as if she can just come out and say, "Hi Seth! This is my cousin from a past life... say hello, Neji!"

He'd either think she's joking or crazy.

–

Hinata purses her lips, attempting to push down the awkward feeling coming up.

She's been here a hundred times before... what makes this any different? This time she might be _turned away. _Jeez, she hopes not.

She knocks after several seconds, hoping that Seth will at least _talk _to her.

Leah answers, looking disheveled. Once she sees Hinata, though, she stiffens. After a moment, the older girl sighs. With a conflicted look in her eyes, she shrugs.

"He's upstairs," She mutters, stepping back. Hinata sends her a grateful look and ascends the stairs.

She contemplates knocking on his door too, but decides not to.

When he sees her, it looks as if he's been crying. Her heart practically breaks.

"What're you doing here, Hinata?" His voice muffles as he allows his head to plop back down on the pillow.

"To tell y-you that it wasn't what it looked like." He does something akin to a snort.

"Right, because having a boy in your room at 6AM _totally_ doesn't mean what I think it does. I'm not _stupid, _Hinata." His voice gains a bite to it as he stands, suddenly right before her. Her eyes widen at the shaking of his shoulders. He's angry; not sad.

It reminds her of Embry.

And Embry reminds her of the wolves.

Oh dear.

Licking her lips slowly, she flickers her eyes to his.

"He's my cousin, Seth."

His brows furrow. "You never said you had a cousin."

"I didn't know until yesterday that he existed." Oh, fuck, then why was he in her room? Shit, shit.

"Then why was he in your room?" She forces an awkward smile and says, "I guess he was just saying g-good morning."

Seth stares at her for several moments, the shaking slowly beginning to lessen. That calms her, for some reason.

Finally, he sighs. "When can I meet him, then?"

Hinata shrugs.

"He said that he's going to be staying in Port Angeles f-for now."

"Oh," He furrows his brow but says nothing.

She clears her throat. "How about w-we go to First Beach? I-it's still kind of early, but..." Seth sighs and nods, following her down the stairs.

Hinata's throat goes dry as they pass Leah, who doesn't even bother shooting them a look. Hinata, for once in a long time, feels out of place in the Clearwater house—and relief when she steps out.

They walk to First Beach in silence, until Seth breaks it. "It's going to be summer soon," He mutters. "Doesn't mean it's going to be _warm_, I guess... but maybe we could go swimming—" She cuts him off with a look.

"_Seth," _She begins incredulously. "Of course we're going to go swimming. Why wouldn't we?" He shrugs.

"I just thought, since you're going off to college soon..." He trails off.

"In a few months," She confirms. "But I-I'm always going to have time for you, Seth. I..." her throat tightens. "I love you." Seth mumbles something.

"I love you too."

In the back of her mind, she wonders why _he_ was there, outside her window, at 6AM... she supposes it doesn't matter much. Not now, anyways.

* * *

He follows her the entire time—at least, since she got back home. He watches with a heavy heart as Seth presses his lips to her cheek. She looks happier, though, and that makes him feel a _little _better. Not much.

He hears her parents talking about her... how she's been sneaking out of the house and doesn't think they know. He stifles a smirk as she does it once again. He follows her to the beach, paws making imprints in the sand.

His chest clenches at the sight of her with another man.

Pale skin; light eyes, but of Asian descent. And even though Embry isn't gay, he has to admit that this guy is pretty as hell.

He can barely stop himself from lurching forward and protecting his imprint when he sees their fists begin to fly. There was no warning; no—

is that _Japanese _they're speaking?

He watches until they both collapse and the rain falls harder. He watches until his imprint and the stranger go home—to _Hinata's home. _He listens to their heartbeats pound in sync.

They don't do anything like... _that._ In fact, he doesn't hear anything for the rest of the night.

He doesn't hear her normal sounds of distress in her sleep.

She sounds content.

He's not sure whether to be grateful or jealous beyond comprehension.

–

Please review. (:


	21. Chapter Twenty

**A/N: **Hi. Sorry for the long wait again! I hope you guys like it. :) Thanks again for everyone that reviewed and favorited this story. I'd really like to personally thank each of you, but I just wouldn't know what to say. Whenever I see that I have a new review, I get so excited.

* * *

"Do you think it's possible for there to be... others here, Neji-nii?" She asks him, burying her toes in the sand. Neji doesn't say anything for a moment, eyes trained on the sunset.

There's a bonfire going on on the other side of the beach. She's supposed to meet Seth there in 10 minutes... she said that she'd bring her cousin. And she will. She can only hope that it all goes well.

"I don't know," He replies finally, honestly.

"The only others that... died after you were... Choji, Ino..." _Poor Shikamaru..._

Neji hesitates long enough for her to notice. "_L-Lee—_"

Hinata can't stop her gasp. "_Lee? _H-how?"

Neji sighs. "He... tried protecting Gai-sensei... they both got themselves killed in the process. Hoshigaki Kisame..." His face darkens.

"Tenten and I made sure that they were avenged, though. They say _here _that... that on the path of vengeance, you should make two graves, but... it's not exactly the same in the world of Shinobi, is it?"

Hinata shakes her head silently.

"Not at all," She whispers, grasping his hand tightly with her own.

After a few long moments, she swallows and asks, "Who else?" She almost dreads to know, but she needs to.

"... Shino," He mutters, not flinching as she lets out a dry sob.

"_How?" _Her voice breaks.

"I don't know." He regrets his answer almost as soon as it leaves his mouth.

Hinata is on her feet, running her hands through her hair; shoulders shaking and stomach churning.

"_No one else was supposed to die." _

He can barely make out her words, but he agrees wholeheartedly.

"No one," He whispers, but knows that there's not much either of them can do about it now. They each sacrificed themselves for the so-called greater good, but did it make any difference at all in the end? They may never know, and that is almost worse than dying.

* * *

They make the short trek to the bonfire, slowly untangling their fingers as they come closer.

"You've been in Port Angeles since now," Hinata mutters in their native tongue. Neji merely nods, letting out a sigh. "He better not be a tool, Hinata-sama-" She can't stop the surprised giggle from leaving her throat.

She likes the new Neji.

Seth comes trotting over to them, a bright smile breaking out on his face.

"You must be Neji!" He says, holding his hand out for the older boy to shake. With a raised brow, the Hyuuga boy stares at it. Hinata nudges him, "Come on, nii-san," Finally, Neji takes the offered hand.

"You must be Seth,"

"That I am!" Seth winces at the hard grip.

Hinata shakes her head, before telling them that she'll be by the fire—and Embry just happens to be over there too.

Before she leaves, she hears Neji mutters to Seth: "Hurt her and I swear to whatever god you believe in—" Oh, Neji.

She steps next to Embry, wondering silently if all the heat is from the bonfire or from him.

"That's your cousin?" He sounds almost relieved; she can't help but wonder why.

"Yeah," She answers easily, shifting her gaze to meet his. They stare for—for a long time. In the back of her mind, she wonders how he knew.

"You've heard the legends, right?" Embry finally asks, blinking rapidly and averting his gaze to the flames. He buries his hands in his pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels... a bit of a challenge in the sand, but he manages it just fine.

"I've h-heard a few." She had been in La Push for several years now. Seth invited her to several of the other bonfires, but he mostly liked spending time alone with her. She didn't have any problem with that, usually.

"The wolves?"

"The wolves." She confirms, a bubbly feeling appearing in her chest. Was she right? About... him? They're wolves—

"The... Third Wife? Have you heard about her?"

She blinks. "I can't say I have." Embry smiles.

"Well good. Billy Black is telling it tonight... he's the best, in my opinion. Jake's dad has always been... a great person." His voice breaks at the end, but he doesn't allow her time to dwell on it. He immediately jumps to: "So, do you want something to drink? We've got a lot... you like Coke, right?"

"Do you have an-any warm cans?" She didn't care much for cold soda, to be honest. She didn't care much for soda at all, but... warm Coke—can't beat it, in Hinata's opinion.

He pauses. "Yeah," He mutters quietly, face breaking out into a large smile. It practically blinds her.

"We do."

They get their drinks and settle down into the sand. Embry seems almost apologetic.

"I didn't know you'd be here so I didn't know to bring any chairs—" Hinata cuts him off with a smile. "It's fine, really. I... I like the sand."

He smiles. "I've always loved the beach." Hinata nods, and for a moment, she allows herself to speak—

"Where I'm from, there aren't many beaches. There are tons of lakes and rivers, though. It rains a lot, but it's always so hot. Except in the winter... it gets _freezing. _It's cr-crazy, really. But it's... great. A friend of m-mine worked at a family-owned flower shop... she could always get flowers to grow even when the temperatures were in the negatives. It a-always boggled my mind... I always wondered how she could create things so beautiful in a place so cold and desolate. How... how can things properly grow when there's no one around to nourish them? Except she did, but she... she can't anymore-_"_ She cuts herself off, suddenly not knowing what to say.

Cold and desolate.

Words she's used to describe the Hyuuga compound on more than one occasion.

She licks her lips, a tingly feeling starting in her veins.

"I... think I understand," Embry says after a moment. She turns to him, noticing the thoughtful look on his face.

"Where did you used to live?"

She freezes.

"You probably d-don't know where it is,"

Embry stares at her, dark chocolate eyes searching for something. Finally, he shrugs and grins. "Yeah, I was never too good in geography. Barely passed it last year. You've never had that problem, though, right? You always get good grades?"

He sounds genuinely curious, which is a welcome change from the usual judgmental tones that people have when talking about her academics.

She smiles. "I guess so... I've always loved school," Embry shudders dramatically, as if the very thought was painful. Hinata cracks a smile, sort of understanding. She used to hate the lessons she received in the compound—and she usually disliked the academy too. Naruto made it a little better, though, just by being there.

All of a sudden, he sobers.

"Do you have a college picked out?"

She hesitates. He notices but says nothing.

"... Sort of," She mutters after a moment. "I told S-Seth that I'm going to one near Seattle or Port Angeles... but I..." She feels heat pool into her cheeks at the intensity of his gaze.

"I wanted to go to Japan. _Back _to Japan... I wanted to study the history and—"

She shakes her head.

"But now that my cousin is here... I don't know. I need to be with him."

"Why?" She doesn't expect that.

"He's... family,"

Embry bites his bottom lip. "You've got your parents, though, right? Why not stay for them?" He knows that their relationship isn't so great, but neither is his relationship with _his _mom.

Hinata sighs. "Yeah, but... Neji is..." She trails off. "Neji is a link to a lifestyle I thought I l-left behind."

The memories of Hinata and Neji fighting on the beach drifts into his mind.

She knows how to fight; so does her cousin. They're experts, really. Better than almost anything he'd ever seen... straight out of the ninja movies.

"What kind of lifestyle is that?" Hadn't she moved here when she was pretty young? What kind of 'lifestyle' could she have had at the age of ten?

She swallows roughly, clenching and unclenching her fists. She stares straight ahead, to the reflection of the moon in the ocean.

"I don't know what to tell you," She finally says. It's practically a whimper, and instantly his wolf is whining. Neither of them like seeing Hinata like this, but—

but Embry needs to know.

When a lone tear rolls down her cheek, however, he decides that he can always wait until she tell him herself.

He closes his eyes, his chin trembling slightly as he wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay," He murmurs, pulling her close. Silent sobs rack her shoulders and he can feel tears against his bare chest, and he doesn't know what to say to make her feel better—and all he wants is for her to feel better.

He swallows.

"Please," He whispers, "Please tell me what's wrong. I want to help you... I need to help you,"

She stiffens. Finally, she pulls away, as if nothing was ever wrong to begin with. The tear tracks on her cheeks tell a different story, however. She forces a smile and shakes her head.

"Sorry! I guess it's just that time of month, r-right?"

He furrows his brow.

"Hinata," He cuts her off. "Hinata, that's... something's wrong. I know there is. And it has something to do with your cousin, doesn't it? I just..." His shoulders tremble as he punches the sand. She flinches slightly, causing him to immediately bring his hands back to his side and take in a calming breath.

"I just... you're a _friend, _and... if you ever need to talk... _please_ come to me."

Even though if she ever needed to talk, she would most likely go to Neji, she appreciates Embry for being there. She licks her lips and closes her eyes, allowing a tiny smile to grace her lips.

"Thanks," She mutters, standing back up. Embry quickly follows suit. She opens her eyes—graygraygray just like the moon in the ocean—and he practically feels his soul coming apart and mending itself back together all in the span of a second.

"No problem," He says, though she's already halfway back across the beach—to the boyfriend; to the cousin; away from him.

* * *

"What happened over there?" Neji asks her urgently in the native tongue. Hinata clenches her jaw and sucks in a breath, meeting his gaze. Instantly, he closes his eyes, as if unable to stand his reflection in her orbs.

"Just... you know how it is, cousin," And he does, so he nods. He knows what it's like to need comfort. He knows what it's like to not find it, but he's glad that Hinata has, even for just a moment.

Seth purses his lips, ignoring the slip of anger in his chest.

Embry Call was pushing the limits of _friends,_ and Seth didn't like it one bit.

He tries to push it away, though, because his girlfriend looks so sad right now—so disturbingly sad that he almost can't ignore the call to pull her into his arms and hold her tight—so he doesn't ignore it. He brings her close to him and she holds him just as tightly.

"I love you," He breathes into her hair. She merely places her forehead on his shoulder.

It's the first time she never said it back, though he barely notices at the time.

* * *

Though Seth and Neji both ask if she wants to leave, she shakes her head. She wants to hear the legends—and _God_ is she glad that she stayed.

Billy Black really makes the stories come to life; as if she were there too, with the Third Wife and Taha Aki and—

there's that word. Imprint.

Soulmates.

Bonded for life.

Mates.

Lovers. Friends. Brother. Whatever the imprint wanted.

Hinata can feel Embry's gaze on her through out it all, but she doesn't dare look him in the eyes.

Part of her is a little ashamed. A little embarrassed. A little really to climb into bed and cry her eyes out, even though she already cried all over _him _earlier.

Because she never expected this.

Or, well, she did. She just hoped that it didn't happen... she always hoped that after she _died, _everyone else would live, which was an incredibly stupid dream, considering the Shinobi nations were at war, but...

But she didn't want Naruto or Kiba or Neji or Hanabi or Sakura or _her father, _to have to go to another funeral for another dead teammate; another dead relative; another dead friend, mother, brother, sister, cousin, _lover_. She didn't want anyone to feel the loss of losing a loved one.

But she can't, couldn't, control those things. Even if she had lived, those things would have happened—Chouji, Ino, Lee, _Shino_ still would have died. She couldn't have saved them, but she always expected Naruto to. He probably always expected the same thing... he probably beat himself up over their deaths. Over her death, even.

And though may never see him in this lifetime, she hopes that he managed to find peace with his demons—literally and figuratively—because in time, she's going to have to find peace with hers. And so is Neji.

* * *

Please review!


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**A/N:** Err, sorry about the wait. I'm not entirely sure about this chapter, but... hopefully you guys like it. (: Thanks again for all the reviews. They truly make my day!

* * *

_Embry Call can barely contain his excitement._

_Of course he feels bad for Jake, though. It's horrible phasing for the first time, but... he's here! Embry finally has one of his childhood friends with him. And with Quil supposed to be phasing soon... oh man, it'll be great._

_In a way, he feels horrible, but... _

_but he finally has his friends back._

* * *

She dreams of her cousin. She dreams of a time many years ago—when courage was something that she would never, ever associate with herself. But she somehow managed to find some then, against all odds.

The first Chuunin Exams.

The words bring back both good memories and horrible nightmares. She was finally able to stand up to someone trying to push her down, all thanks to Naruto. She was able to keep up with her teammates in the Forest of Death—well, with a few slip ups, but that's not the point.

But the bad?

Neji almost killed her.

She can still remember the absolute terror she felt as she saw his palm coming toward her, fingers bent just slightly. It was as if the world was moving in slow motion. She could hear Naruto shouting in the background; could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears; could hear her labored breaths.

She struck Neji once. It was practically a tap—

and then his palm hits her chest and she goes down.

She can no longer hear her own heartbeat; she can no longer hear _anything._

And she's scared. At least, she thinks she's scared. She doesn't remember much of anything except black. Not black like night, but black like a concussion, or maybe death.

Probably not the best example, but it's all she can think of.

She doesn't wake up for a week, but the doctors tell her that she was lucky to wake up at all. The nurse looks at her with undisguised pity as she gently helps Hinata to a small mirror in the room.

"I figured you should see yourself now instead of looking down and noticing by yourself—"

What? Had she suddenly grown an extra limb or something? What could be so bad?

But then she sees her chest. Her stomach drops—drops like she did before she hit the floor.

Scars. Or, perhaps, one scar.

It covers her chest and almost looks like lightning spread across her skin. Blood red lightning.

"The color will fade eventually, and maybe in a few years... it'll go away entirely." But the nurse doesn't sound like she even believes herself.

Eventually, the color of bright red _does _fade away. But the scar always stays.

She had never been a very vain girl. She didn't flaunt herself like Ino, or even like Sakura. If anything, she was incredibly self-conscious as a 12 year old. She never took off her jacket and more often than not, she didn't speak unless spoken to; didn't even breathe loud enough for anyone else to hear. She always faded into the background.

Ever since she was a child, she _knew_ that her marriage would most likely be an arranged one. She would end up living the rest of her life with a man she didn't love—she would learn to love him, though. At the very least... she would learn that he is the boss; the provider; the one who controls her. She would have to give herself to him whenever he wanted, but who would want a wife with thick, spiderweb scars?

He wouldn't find out about the scar until the wedding night, and after that, it would be too late for him to back out. That sounds like something her father would do. He wouldn't tell anyone that she was disfigured. He would continue to treat her as the weak heiress; the one who is just a pawn in a much larger game.

And she would be okay with that, because she has never had a choice.

She always _wished_ to marry Naruto... even knowing that it would never happen. Actually, to be honest, she would settle for having a _conversation_ with him, without her turning into a bumbling fool. But she knew that both were impossible.

If she were to marry Naruto... she didn't think that he would mind the scars much. He seemed like he would be the type of husband, lover, boyfriend, to love his partner despite their scars; their deformities.

As Hinata White, she had been most excited about not having _that _scar. It was always like a heavy weight on her chest—almost literally, at times. She had always been even more self-conscience after receiving it...

As Hinata Hyuuga, she tried not to think about it, but sometimes she just couldn't stop herself from—

_What if the scar was peaking through her jacket? _

_What if she bent over and someone saw it—no problem, she would just zip her jacket all the way up._

_What if she got injured and the medic-nin needed to see her chest? They've probably seen worse, but what if they haven't?_

She dreams of her 12 year old self.

The fight with Neji, the recovery, the scar, the humiliation, the hatred for herself.

She dreams of all of this, and when she awakens, she is bathed in darkness.

It reminds her of falling; of being helpless and alone. It reminds her of what she used to always feel—and she does not like it one bit.

She lurches upwards, gasping for breath and sobbing into the air. She sucks in, as if trying to suck all the grief back into herself... but she can't.

Neji is in Port Angeles; for real, this time. Or maybe he's in Seattle. She can't help but be a little grateful. She didn't want to wake up him. He's with his parents. She wonders what they're like... he promised that she would be able to meet them soon.

It takes her a moment to realize she should turn on the light. As her butterfly-shaped lamp switches on and bathes the room in yellow, she closes her eyes. She can hear the blood pounding in her ears; can _feel_ the way her heart drops.

On shaky legs, she pushes herself out of bed.

Her heart is heavy as she approaches the mirror, but she has to know.

She takes her shirt off—not caring in the least for her own partial nudity. The blinds are drawn and there is no one else here besides her.

She cringes, more tears sprouting into her bloodshot eyes.

There are lightning scars on her chest. Thick, almost like a second layer of skin.

The next thing she knows, she's on her knees, burying her face into the palm of her hands. Silent, powerful sobs wrack her body. A tornado of emotions fly through her—disgust, anger, bitterness and embarrassment being some of the most prominent. She gasps for air, sucking it into her screaming lungs.

"_Why_?"

She knew that it was going to happen eventually._.. _other scars came back, but they were small. This...

this scar represents some of the worst years of her life. And yet, it also represents the strength she managed to find for herself. Is she supposed to be happy to have it back? _She's not._

She supposes that if she gets her cousin back, she also gets all the crap they had been through 'together'.

It's not fair.

She licks her lips and attempts to stop her tears.

With one final look in the mirror—and then looking away in disgust—she gets to her feet, pulls on some random clothes from the closet, and is out of the window, on the ground and in the forest before she can even blink.

* * *

She climbs the highest tree in the forest. It's an almost full moon, so it's easy to see. She can hear nothing but her own breathing and the occasional chirping of a bug. Maybe the wolves aren't out tonight. Strange, considering the moon is so bright and high in the sky. Aren't they supposed to be all about the moon—? She figures it doesn't matter.

She wonders how she could ever explain something like this. The scar is big—perhaps not _huge,_ but it's definitely noticeable. She won't be able to go swimming with Seth this summer. She won't be able to wear spaghetti straps.

Back to her old jacket, then?

She sighs, leaning her head back to lean on a branch. Her heart feels like lead in her chest.

That whole 'sex' thing was nice while it lasted, she supposes.

* * *

She falls asleep in that tree.

Faces flash through her mind—Her cousin, her sister, her father; her mother's blurry smile. They all ignore her—everyone but her mother. But as soon as the woman is close, she disappears in a cloud of blood red.

She sees _Naruto—_a flash of light in the bleakness. She reaches out for him and he comes. It's the first time he's ever held her, and she melts into it. He smells like sunshine. He _is_ sunshine. He is life and brightness and everything she has ever wanted—

but he isn't.

* * *

She sleeps until the sun is high above her in the sky. When she finally cracks open her eyes, she can't help but wince at the brightness.

She sits there for a few moments, or perhaps a few minutes, before realizing—

it's a Tuesday.

School has probably already started. Her parents probably know she wasn't home this morning. For a moment, she doesn't even care. Missing a day of school won't make a difference. Neither will her parents being agitated with her.

Pressure builds in her chest, but she attempts to ignore it. She doesn't want to cry again—not _ever_ again, though she knows that isn't possible. Crying is what she _does._

With a shaky breath, she swings her legs over the side of the thick branch...

and she jumps.

And just like always, she lands perfectly.

* * *

Hinata doesn't go home, _or _to school.

She walks until her feet stop by themselves—until she is standing over the edge of a cliff and staring down at the beauty of the ocean. It's sunny, which is rare in La Push. The water glistens and the sun glares off of the waves.

For a moment, she allows her eyes to close.

She focuses on the salt in the wind; on the chirping of distant birds; on the beating of her own heart.

She tries not the think about the scar. She tries not to think about all of the mistakes she's made since she's been here—

she doesn't want to think about that.

Right now, she doesn't even really want to think at all.

She wants... peace.

So she steps forward once. Twice.

She walks until her toes are over the edge of the cliff.

And she jumps.

And she does not land perfectly.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

Hi. It's been a little over a year since I last updated this story, and I'm really sorry! I just haven't had the inspiration I once did for writing, but I think it's coming back. :) I hope this longer chapter can make up for the break, at least somewhat. Thanks for everyone that has stuck by the story! I'll try not to take such a long time to update next time. The tone of this chapter may be a bit different than the rest of the story, but I hope it's not too distracting. Canon is introduced more in this chapter, and the story is moving along a bit faster.

Sorry for any mistakes.

* * *

As Hinata Hyuuga, control was one of the most important things she could have. Control over her chakra, control over her emotions, control over herself. As a Hyuuga, she was meant to have a perfect mask; one that nothing and no one could ever break. Hyuuga's are (were?) cold creatures, with big egos and big sticks in their _perfect_ derrieres—at least, that's what she heard many times as a child leaving the estate. As she got older, she learned to just ignore the gossip and whispers.

Control over her emotions was something she never had. She was the odd one out when it came to the other Hyuuga. She didn't have their perfect little mask. She didn't have their cold aura. She didn't have their frown lines and expressionless eyes. That was something else—

her eyes were lavender. They had always been lavender, and though that was not an _impossible _color for a Hyuuga to have, it was very uncommon. It caused many to speculate about her mother's fidelity, which is positively _insane,_ since it is doubtful that Hinata's mother even left the Hyuuga Estate much, what with being the wife of the clan head. The Hyuuga, however logical they were, also had a cruel streak. That was something that Hinata learned time and time again.

In any case, chakra control was something that Hinata Hyuuga _did_ have. She had been trained since she was three years old to pace and balance herself. She can still clearly remember the first lesson she ever had: making a leaf stick to her skin with just chakra. She did it within the hour, which practically made her father beam (which, for him, was a simple twitch of the lips). Sadly, she never once saw the same expression directed towards her again.

She could walk on water and climb a tree without her hands by the time she was 10. She was good...

But she wasn't the _best_, not even in the academy. Sasuke Uchiha came first in practically everything (or _was_ it everything?), something Hiashi was not happy at all about.

_How can you let an Uchiha brat with no parents beat you, Hinata? You have the best instructors; the best of everything, yet you can't beat a little boy with no one to guide him. _

Hinata always prided herself over her chakra control, however. It was really the only thing she had—

so why in the world can she not water walk as well now? To be fair, she hasn't exactly tried it in about... sixteen years, but _still. _It's like riding a bike (she's heard that expression several times from her now-parents). You never forget how to do it. At least... she thought so.

Now, as she barely manages to keep her head above water, and fights to ignore the sea water in her lungs, she figures... perhaps she was wrong.

She pushes chakra into her legs, kicking wildly for a moment. Finally, she forces herself to calm, focusing chakra into the palms of her hands and pressing them to the surface of the water. Slowly, she pushes herself up, silently rejoicing as the water holds her as if it were solid. It fails a few times, but finally, she is on her hands and knees on the water.

Perhaps, if she were in her right mind, she would rethink doing this in broad daylight, beneath the cliffs that many people often dive off of on sunny days like this. Then again, most people are at work or school. She has nothing to worry about... she supposes.

She kneels on the water, closing her eyes and breathing heavily for several seconds (minutes? She's not entirely sure). She licks her lips, tasting salt and desperation. As her eyes slowly slip open, she can't help but smile. _She's on the water._

She hasn't tried it before in this world. There's never been a good opportunity for privacy. She can't exactly use the tiny bathtub at home—the surface area is much too small. And she long ago ruled out coming to the beach at night... there's just something about the dark openness that... _scares_ her almost. The forest is _entirely_ different, of course. She grew up (the first time) around trees and woods, _not _around large bodies of water. The silly fear of the unknown is what holds her back, she supposes.

But she's doing it. She's standing on the water as if she were a celestial being. Well... maybe she's not exactly _standing... _and she _does_ look kind of pitiful, soaking wet and trembling. So perhaps celestial is not the right word. Close enough, she decides finally.

Her waterlogged locks won't stop falling into her face as she attempts to stand. She huffs quietly, silently telling herself to cut it soon. _Very_ soon. It's down to her waist, and though she likes long hair, it's been nothing but a burden. As Hinata Hyuuga, her father would often tell her to cut it—"you can't handle having that much hair, Hinata. You're not skilled enough, it will just get in the way". Of course, his wording was just a bit harsher, with just a_ bit_ more bite.

She didn't do it, though. It was her one little act of rebellion: not cutting her hair.

After awhile of practically dancing on the surface of the ocean, she allows herself to drop. Before coming to La Push, she had never really swam in the ocean before. She had been dropped in it before (and practically drowned, she thinks with a cold sense of remembrance of a mission she went on years and years ago), but she had never swam. She knows the salt will burn, but she opens her eyes anyways, closing them quickly at the sight of murky depths.

She knows that she can swim longer if she tries; can push herself a little harder and make herself be okay, so she pushes chakra into her lungs and tries not to wince at the tight feeling it creates in her chest. With a splutter, she erupts back up, gasping and choking for oxygen. It's been awhile since she's tried manipulating chakra _inside _of her body, so she had forgotten of the pain it sometimes creates if too much or too little is used.

As she chokes on the salt water and sourly regrets trying something like that, she doesn't notice the presence below the water. She doesn't notice the red below her or the sudden cold chill of the ocean. She doesn't notice a thing other than the pressure in her chest, so she resolves to get out of the water. With a soft sigh, she begins to push herself forward—

only to get pulled back into the water. A short shriek leaves her lips, but almost instantly her voice is muffled by the sea and she is lost in the murky blue.

* * *

Embry knows that something is wrong.

Hinata isn't in school, and she never misses school. Well... usually she doesn't. As he thinks back on it, he realizes that she misses more school than he realized. But in any case, he knows that something is wrong; he can feel it in his gut.

When he hears the distant (yet not quite distant enough) howl of a wolf, he lurches from his desk and moves to leave. The teacher opens her mouth to say something, but with one quick glance from Embry, she immediately tightens her lips and moves on with the lesson. It's something inside of them, he thinks, that lets others know not to mess with them. Like Sam is Alpha, but not only to them. Others not in the pack have a way of bending to his will without him even doing anything.

People know instinctively that Embry is an animal, one that they shouldn't mess with. Perhaps that should bother him, but it doesn't. Moments like this make him grateful for it.

He is in the forest, shedding his clothes and calling forward his wolf. In mere moments, he is on all fours, stretching the muscles in his back and shaking his fur.

_The leech was on the reservation. _Sam says through their link and Embry can't help but growl.

_How? I thought that we had someone watching—_

Sam, _She's fast. We almost got her, but she managed to get away, through the ocean. We lost her scent..._

Embry can tell there's something he's not saying; something he's trying to hold back. He can hear Paul and Jared in the back of his mind, but he can only focus on Sam's next words.

_We smelled Hinata, as well. She was on the beach. The cliffs. Her scent disappeared as the leech's did and—well, she wasn't there. _

A cold feeling of dread fills Embry's stomach, almost instantly to be replaced by scorching anger.

His mate was taken. He has to get her back.

* * *

Hinata stares warily at the beautiful woman before her—the woman who tried to _kill her. _Instead of immediately gouging a knife through her heart or ripping off her head, the woman instead brought Hinata to... the beach. Not First Beach, but something like it. There doesn't seem to be anyone else around, but then again it's hard to focus on anything but the red-head in front of her. Her presence is demanding.

"You're special," the woman says, smirking at the flash of fear in the younger girl's eyes. Pretty little pearls, she can't help but laugh in her mind.

"... Wh-what?" Hinata curses her stutter, but can't do much about it now. The woman rolls her crimson eyes (_Crimson eyes?). _Hinata hasn't seen eyes like that since Kurenai, her beautiful sensei.

"You walked on the water. You're _special," _she repeats herself. Hinata's stomach drops.

"Now... normally, I'd bite you and turn you and have you join my army. I feel as if you'd be even _more _special after wards." The woman tilts her head. "But... I want answers, you see. It's not often I come across someone like... you. A human who does something extraordinary—if you even _are _human. You certainly don't smell like a vampire... or one the _dogs, _for that matter._"_

Hinata's heart seems to stop for a moment before picking up speed. Vampire? … The cold ones? The ones from legend? There are werewolves, right? Of course there are vampires too.

"You don't seem very surprised," The woman notes. "I suppose it's not... strange, considering you live around _werewolves,_" She says the word in a low voice, venom seeping into it.

"Is that why your eyes are red?" Hinata asks, though she knows the answer is yes.

The red-head glances away from her. "Yes..." She looks back towards the other girl. "they turn black when I'm hungry, you see. When I freshly feed, they turn this _beautiful _shade of crimson." Her eyes narrow.

"So don't worry, little girl. When I bite you, I won't lose control."

Though her words attempt to be reassuring, the smile on her face is anything but. Fangs peek through her lips, causing a shiver to run down Hinata's spine.

"So... how, exactly," The red-head raises an eyebrow. "are you able to stand on top of the water? You smell no different than the average human," She leans in and sniffs dangerous close. "Perhaps you smell a bit spicier, but... I believe that's to be expected, considering you hang around the mutts. Their smell is positively _dreadful... _like wet dog and garlic."

Hinata doesn't say anything.

It's not safe to tell this woman—this _vampire—_anything, but she can't exactly stay silent either.

"Why were you on the reservation?"

She's attempting to stall and both of them know it. The woman rolls her eyes.

Before she can get a single word out, however, her body stiffens.

"_Damn,"_ she snarls, reaching forward too fast for the average human to even see.

She attempts to latch on to Hinata's wrist, but the younger girl is expecting it this time. She forces chakra to run down her arm, enough to shock the woman into letting go. She stares blankly at Hinata for all of half a second before sneering and—

she disappears. Hinata stares after the blur of red streaking down the beach and into the forest.

She's fast, Hinata notes with a sense of dread. But she's gone now, and that's all that matters, right? Right.

That's when she notices the other presence on the beach. A big wolf, much too large to be natural; eyes much too human to be anything but.

Her breath catches in her throat. Gray with patches of black; the wolf from her dreams. It seems like months ago that she had them, but she still remembers it like it was yesterday.

The wolf is Embry. She knows it before he even steps closer. She can practically feel it in her bones, which is perhaps a bit strange. Why is she so _connected _to him? She barely knows him, despite the fact that they're friends. The Third Wife, the soul mates, the _imprint. _Is she his? His imprint? His _soul mate? _She can't be, it's not possible—

But anything is possible, isn't it? Werewolves, vampires, chakra, _reincarnation. _

"Embry," she whispers before she can stop herself. The wolf stiffens, but doesn't stop his advance towards her.

She wonders what will happen when he shifts back into a man. What does that look like? Does it hurt? Do his bones break and rearrange, or is it like in the movies? Does it happen in the blink of an eye?

They stare at each other for a long moment, before he seems to take a deep breath.

His body shifts; morphs into that of a man. When he is on two feet, he is—

well, he is naked. Hinata instantly closes her eyes, though she can't but appreciate the tiny glimpse she got. He's very fit, obviously.

Embry is—Embry is a lot of things right now. Shocked. Embarrassed. Most importantly though, he is _relieved. _Hinata is not... she's here. She's safe. She doesn't even really seem shaken up. _Hell, _he's more surprised than she is. How did she know? How is she alive? How... how did she make it away from—from that _bitch?_

"Hinata," he breathes after his shorts are on. Her eyes open and meet his own. He has the overwhelming urge to hold her; to press his palms to her cheeks and kiss her until she loves him as much as he loves her. He doesn't though, because it wouldn't be _right. _But it _is _right, isn't it? They are _soul mates, _despite the fact that she is with someone else. Despite the fact she loves another man (_Seth is a boy), _Embry can not stop loving _her. _He is hers and, in his heart, _she is his._

Perhaps it is unnatural, the power of the imprint, but he wouldn't make it go away. He wouldn't trade Hinata for anything, and in a way... in a way, that's scary. But that's not important right now—

"How..." she takes a deep breath. "How did you find me?"

She wants him to say it aloud, despite the fact she just saw it was her own two eyes.

Instead of giving an actual explanation, he smiles tiredly. "I will always find you."

* * *

Though he wants to hunt down the red-headed bitch, he knows that Hinata comes first. His pack brothers will have it handled—and if they don't, then it's even better. Embry will be able to kill the leech himself. No one touches his mate without facing the consequences.

"Emily's," Hinata notes, ushering for Embry to put her down. She didn't want him to hold her at first—she has two legs and she can _use _them—but he wouldn't take no for an answer. It _was _nice, though. He is warm and she is cold.

Despite the shivers, she can't stop the smile from twitching at her lips. She was right. "Sam is... Sam is a wolf, too?"

Embry doesn't bother denying it. "He's Alpha,"

"Leader of the pack?" Hinata blinks. It makes sense, she supposes.

The hand Embry has placed on her lower back is—distracting. The heat seeps past her wet clothing and soaks into her flesh. It's a lovely feeling, surely, but it makes her feel like a traitor; like a cheater. She doesn't shake off his hand, though. It's—

He sighs. "The leech lover is here."

She hesitates, "Leech lover?"

"Bella Swan," he wrinkles his nose, gently leading her into the house. It smells more like home than the house that Embry has spent his entire life in.

Emily startles at the sight of them, looking warily at the other girl sitting in the kitchen. Pale skin, brown hair, broken eyes—but beautiful. She practically screams _damsel. _She's the kind of girl that men want to protect, Hinata thinks. She's delicate and thin and—

"H-Hinata and—Embry," Emily lets out a breath. "Is... is everyone okay? Is Sam—? Are _you? _Oh goodness..."

"We're fine, Emily." He flicks his head in the direction of the girl, Bella. "What's _she _doing here?"

The girl stiffens, looking suddenly like a kicked puppy. Hinata winces.

"She..." Emily closes her eyes tightly. "The... the _vampire _got close. You know that though, don't you? Sam told me that Hinata..." she trails off, stepping forward to take the younger girl's hands in her own. "I'm glad you're okay."

Hinata smiles tiredly, wondering exactly what 'okay' means in this case. Still, "Me too."

"Would you like something to eat? I made sandwiches for the boys, but there's more than enough to go around."

Hinata stuffs shaky hands into the pockets of her pants. "N-no thanks," she mumbles. She's not hungry, not at all.

* * *

"I saw you," Bella breathes as Hinata sits next to her at the table. Embry left to... to turn back into a wolf, for some reason. When Hinata asked why, he smirked and said he'd tell her later. There seems to be a lot that they both need to tell each other.

"W-what?"

"I _saw _you," the girl repeats, putting emphasis on the middle word, as if it's supposed to make Hinata know what she's talking about. "I saw you when you... when you were on the water."

Hinata's heart stops for a single moment. Then, she lets out a shaky laugh and runs a hand through her damp hair.

"Please don't lie to me," Bella practically begs, before Hinata can even say a word. "I've been lied to so many times since this all started, and—and it's not as if it matters now." She closes her eyes. "We're... we're all in the same world now, aren't we? Supernatural. Vampires, werewolves... whatever you are." She hesitates, "You aren't a witch, are you? N-not that there's anything wrong with that, but..."

Hinata chokes on a giggle. "No... I... I'm not a witch."

Bella lets out a tiny sigh of relief.

She's right, though, Hinata realizes after a moment, a tight feeling in her gut. It's not a terribly bad feeling, just different. They're in this together, now. Or are they? Well...

For a long moment, Hinata wonders if she should tell the truth; the _full _truth.

She settles with, "I was born with... with the ability to do things like th-that."

"How?"

Hinata winces, "I don't know." It's not entirely a lie. She's not sure _how _she kept her mind after dying; kept her chakra and... everything, really, except her body. She's starting to get that back too, though. The scars prove it.

"You don't know?" Bella asks, disbelieving.

Before Hinata can respond, four beefy boys come stomping into the kitchen. Not exactly _stomping, _but they sure as hell sound like a herd of wild elephants.

Embry plops himself down in the chair next to Hinata, giving her a reassuring smile.

Sam, though, is not smiling. His eyes are hard, calculating and just a little bit scary. But she's faced down enemies bigger than him, stronger than him, more intimidating. Of course, Sam is not her enemy—at least, she hopes not.

"Hinata," he begins. The other two boys grab the plate of sandwiches on the counter. If Hinata wanted a sandwich now, she'd probably have to fight them for it, the way they're scarfing them down. Embry manages to get one. He pulls off the crust, throwing it back onto the plate.

It's a little cute, Hinata can't help but think, that he doesn't like crust on his bread.

"Hinata." Sam says her name once more, sounding annoyed. Instantly, she snaps to attention, meeting his gaze and firmly telling herself not to drop it. She won't be intimidated. He is not _her _alpha.

Embry lets out a growl deep within his chest, sending Sam a look of agitation. "Don't talk to her like that."

Sam narrows his eyes at the other man, letting out a breath through his nose. He relaxes his shoulders when Emily presses a hand to his bicep. He nods his head in thanks.

"We need to know everything. If you want us to protect you, we need to know—"

Before she can stop herself, Hinata lets out a snort. "I don't need you to protect me."

"Yes," he says gravely. "you do. I don't think you know what you're up against. Leeches, _vampires. _They aren't human; they're stronger than you, faster than you. But we," he motions to his pack. "can fight them. You know what we are—"

"Werewolves." Bella mumbles for her, eyes darkening just slightly.

He continues on as if he hadn't said anything, "We are the protectors of La Push. We kill vampires, it's our entire reason for being here."

That must be a sad existence, Hinata thinks in the back of her mind. To be born, _made _to kill. But isn't that a shinobi's life as well?

"I don't live in La Push," Bella says almost defiantly. "You don't need to protect me either."

Sam sighs wearily. "Now that the leeches—_Cullens," _Bella flinches at the name. "are gone, our territory now spreads to Forks as well. Even if you throw a tantrum, we're going to protect you. It's what we do. We protect—"

One of the other men, the buffer one, scoffs. "Yeah, Sam, we _protect. _They fucking get it. Let's just get to the point," he snaps his eyes to Bella. "Why are you such a fucking leech-magnet? First the parasites from Forks, now this red-headed bitch—"

The pale girl freezes. "Red head? V-Victoria?"

Hinata closes her eyes. It's going to be a very long day, it seems.

* * *

They call for the other boy to come before Bella starts her story. He comes in, just as loud as the other members of his pack. He immediately attaches himself to Bella's side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She smiles sadly, but doesn't lean into him. The look he has is... devotion. Love. Adoration and a million things in between. Bella's face is—not that. She doesn't love him, not in the way he loves her. For a long moment, Hinata feels for the boy. She knows what that's like.

Hinata runs a sweaty palm down her pants damp pants. They're uncomfortable to be in, but it's not the worst thing in the world.

Bella's story is... interesting, Hinata supposes. She met and fell in love with a boy—a _vampire _boy. The boy loved her back, she thought, until he broke her heart and left her in the middle of the woods. Before that, though—

"A mate for a mate," Bella says bitterly. "Ed-_Edward _killed James, Victoria's mate, so Victoria wants revenge. She wants to kill me... _a mate for a mate,_" she repeats, almost to herself.

"He's not your _mate, _Bella!" Jacob finally says. "A mate wouldn't leave you, a mate wouldn't make you hurt, a mate wouldn't—!"

"How would you know?" Bella snaps. "Do you have one?"

Jacob sucks in a breath, looking at her with such sad, warm eyes. "Not yet," he says after a long moment. "But it's something that we have inside of us. We'll all have mates one day, it's just a part of... a part of us."

"A part of who? _Werewolves?" _Her voice is hard.

"Yes," he says stiffly.

The rest of the people in the room are surprisingly quiet, Hinata realizes. They're staring at the pair with rapt attention—or, well, Emily is. The rest of them look as if they just want to get on with it.

"And let me guess, Emily is Sam's mate?" Bella asks, obviously leading up to something. Hinata stiffens, knowing that whatever she's about to say isn't going to be good.

At Jacob's nod, she continues in a bitter voice, "If she's his _mate, _then how did she get those scars? Did _he—"_

Before she can finish, before she can utter another word, the buffer boy is standing up, looking down at the tiny girl. "Shut _up!" _he snarls. "You don't know a fucking thing about us, you ungrateful bitch. Just take our help and shut up, or let the red-headed leech kill you. I can guarantee that no one here—besides Jake, maybe, because he's fucked in the head and has wanted to fuck your pasty ass for _years_—will miss you! You're just a fucking _pest._"

Sam is shaking and Emily is tense. Crying, Hinata thinks sadly.

Embry gently brushes his fingers against hers.

They're fighting then, Jacob and the guy that Hinata still doesn't know the name of. Something with a P, right? They're snarling at each other and Bella is stiff and silent in the kitchen chair. She is the kind of girl that men want to protect, after all.

* * *

"It's going to be fine," Embry tells her. "Sam will break up the fight and... well, Paul starts shit all the time, it's nothing new. Jake is... he's still new to... to _this, _so he can't control his temper very well, but he's better than most of us. He's supposed to be the Alpha, you know. He doesn't want the position though, and I can't say I blame him considering all the shit Sam's been through the past year or so. Having to deal with all of us? _Hell," _he babbles on. Though she doesn't understand some of it, she listens. She closes her eyes and allows his voice to seep into her skin.

When he goes silent, she looks up. He's looking at her like Jacob looked at Bella—except so much _more. _He's looking at her the way Sam looks at Emily, and... part of her likes it. The other part of her hates it _because _she likes it. She loves _Seth. _

She pulls her hand away from his, returning it to her lap.

"W-would you mind if I took a shower here?" She asks Emily, who is sitting across from her. Her head is in her palms and her hair spreads like ink down her shoulders.

She lifts her head and licks her lips. "No, sweetie, go ahead. I... I don't know if I've got anything that could fit you, but I'm sure we can find something."

In the end, Emily hands her one of Sam's large shirts. Hinata refuses the sundress, knowing that her scars would be on full display. Besides, it wouldn't help with the shivers still shaking her spine. Hopefully a steaming shower can help that.

* * *

The shower helps at least somewhat.

When she steps out, she's glad that the mirror is fogged—she can't see herself, and she's so grateful for that. If she saw _that scar_ again, she's not sure _what _she'd do. Probably cry.

She dries her hair with the fluffy pink towel Emily handed her earlier. Emily must have picked them out, because Hinata certainly can't see Sam buying things like this. They're soft though, and warm. They smell like fresh laundry—and now the strawberry shampoo that Hinata may have _borrowed. _

She takes a deep breath, holds it.

Then she lets it out.

* * *

She must have stayed in the shower longer than she thought, because when she walks back into the kitchen—wearing Sam's shirt and her own bra—everyone is already there. Jacob and the other boy look no worse for wear, not really anyways. They're glaring daggers at each other, but they aren't trying to rip each others throats out, so that's good.

Embry immediately gets up when she steps into the room, his heart practically stopping at the sight of her. She's—_beautiful, _really. The sight of Sam's shirt slipping off her shoulders and going down to her knees is both tempting and annoying. It should be _his _shirt that she's wearing.

"I knew it'd be like a dress," Emily smiles. "You're even shorter than I am."

"I-it doesn't help that Sam is a giant," Hinata replies, lips twitching into a tiny grin.

He kept her seat empty, but when she sits next to Bella, Embry can't stop the hurt expression from crossing his face. She pretends not to notice.

"Are you feeling better?" Sam asks, lips pinched.

"A little," Hinata says, pulling down the edges of the shirt-dress to cover her knees. Bella is staring at her with confused eyes, likely wondering why the other girl would choose to sit next to her. Hinata offers a shaky smile.

"After an encounter with a leech," Sam says slowly. "You don't seem very... shaken up. It's amazing that you were able to _recover _so fast. Then again, there wasn't much to recover from." He stares at her with stern, ebony eyes. "How did you get away with not a scratch on you? We could smell her _on you. _She touched you, but—"

Perhaps because she's feeling a little bitter, a little rebellious, a little _empty, _she scoffs. "I told you, I... I don't need your help. I d-don't need _protection."_

Sam growls—then so does Embry, because _no one, _not even his alpha, is going to treat Hinata like that. Before he can stand up for his mate, Sam begins—

"I don't think you _get it, _little girl! This... this is _real life. _This is real, and I don't think you _get it. _There's more to the world than just _humans, _and you somehow already seemed to know that. You knew about _us_, anyways. You knew who Embry was when he was a wolf, you didn't seem surprised at all. You're obviously a _fucking genius," _he spits it like acid. "You knew the legends were real, didn't you? I know that no one told you, but you put it together."

He takes a deep breath. "I met you when you were twelve years old... you've always been sensible. What's changed?"

The silence is thick, so thick she feels herself beginning to choke on it.

She wants to yell back at him. She wants to scream and throw things, she wants to feel something break beneath her hands—whether it be his bones, or a flower vase. But then she shakes those thoughts away, because that's _not who she is. _

She's just frustrated; they all are, and she knows that. It must be horrible for them to know that their natural enemy, the vampire, got so close to where their families are; where their mates are. They think that she knows something that could help, but she really doesn't.

And though she _is _sensible, though she _is _patient, she doesn't feel like it right now. But she stuffs the anger beneath the surface and allows herself to _breathe._

"Nothing has changed," she lies, staring him in the eye. "N-nothing at all has changed, and y-you... you're right." It's not as hard to say as she thought—even if it's not true. She's used to agreeing, to rolling over and allowing things to happen whether she wants them to or not.

"I _do _need your h-help."

Sam looks relieved. "I'm glad you can admit that. It's... I hope you can understand what it's like for _us. _That _parasite_ has been running around for... _weeks. _We haven't been able to catch her and it's... it's beginning to take a toll on all of us."

Emily places a hand on his shoulder and leans into him.

Hinata watches them with calculating eyes. Perhaps not the most healthy of relationships—he likely caused the scars on her face, and the way they got together with each other? Horrible, truly—but it works for them, she supposes. They look sweet together, and they need each other.

The buffer boy straightens up, "How the_ hell _did you make it away from her without any fucking injuries? It's what we all wanna know, but you still haven't answered us." His jaw is tense as he stares at Hinata. She's just a little girl, he can't help but think. What the hell could she have done?

She's not sure what to say for a long moment. She doesn't want to tell them the truth. Perhaps that is selfish of her, perhaps it's just self-preservation. What would they do if they knew what she could do? She doesn't _think _they'd do anything to hurt her, but it—no, she's not going to risk it.

So she gives half-truths. "She wanted to bite me."

Embry lets out a low growl, looking a little embarrassed when Hinata's gaze snaps to his. She allows her eyes to drift, not wanting him to see the effect that noise had on her. It was—animalistic, surely, and her stomach tingles from it.

She swallows roughly, "She w-wanted to bite me, but she... she talked a lot—"

"About what?" Sam interrupts.

"She... she mentioned an army."

"An _army? _Of fucking _vampires?" _

Hinata purses her lips. "I would a-assume so."

She fumbles with a loose string on the shirt, ignoring the soft cries from the girl beside her.

"She s-said that she wanted me to be a part of her army, but... E-Embry came before she could do anything. She... smelled him, I guess."

"She could have taken you with her," Sam narrows his eyes. "Why didn't she?"

"I don't _know," _Hinata practically snaps. "Maybe she was... s-scared. Of Embry, I mean."

Before Sam can reply, the phone in the kitchen rings. Emily sighs, going to answer it. She's not on the phone long before all of the shape-shifters in the room tense and Emily lets out a sound of distress.

Hinata clenches her fist tightly.

Emily comes back in a moment later, hand over her mouth. It takes her several seconds to get out the words, "Harry Clearwater... he just had a heartattack."

Hinata heart drops. It drops even further when she hears two long, mournful howls coming from outside.

"Sue... she also said that... that Leah and Seth shifted."

* * *

Please continue to review! Reviews really make me smile, and I got inspired to continue this because of all the reviews I saw on this since the last time I checked. :) Thank you for reading!


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